The Stars Incline Us
by TheAtlantisGirl
Summary: The stars incline us, they do not bind us. Allanon, the last Druid of Paranor, has spent many decades in the Druid Sleep. His life dedicated to the ways of the Druids and now he has been summoned for one final task. He meets an otherworldly woman, who alters everything including himself. Saving his life, bringing him peace, he cannot help but feel she was meant to find him. A/OFC
1. Chapter 1

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

Footsteps fell softly among the grass and fallen leaves. Two sets. One smaller than the other. One set was surer in their gait while the other was timid. Breathing was gentle, not labored or rushed as they fell at steady pace along the river. Leaves crunched under foot as birds sang from their nests up above in the treetops. The air carried a warm breeze, promising life and rejuvenation. The pair ceased and rested a moment along the water's edge.

The woman stood watch as the child took a drink, her yellow dress gently touching the water's surface. Her sheer skirt, slitted on either side up to her thighs, billowed in the breeze. She tugged on the waist of the tight shorts that hid her extremities from beneath the skirt. She then looked back to the child, watching her carefully.

A scream, ear-piercing and devilish in nature echoed from across the forest, making way to the ears of the woman and child.

"What was that?" The small child asked with fear trembling through their tone like a shaking leaf. Water dripped from her chin as she moved closer to the woman, small hand gripping part of her slitted skirt. The woman wrapped an arm around the child's shoulders, billowing sleeve tossing back and forth along her back.

"I do not know." The woman responded in a firm and collected tone. She was like a stone, anchoring the child and shielding her from the dangers that lurked in the forest. The woman pulled the child tighter to her side, gripping her shoulder. The scream streaked out again like lightening across the sky. The woman spun round and fell to one knee, mud dirtying her skin as she grabbed hold of the child's shoulders. "I need you to stay here by the river and go nowhere. I will return."

"No, don't go!" The child flung her arms around the woman's neck and tightly shut her eyes. The woman held her, eyes searching the sky behind the treetops for signs of the beastie. She rubbed a hand up and down the girl's back soothingly and then pulled away when she heard another screeching cry.

"It is a daemon. A Fury by the sound of it. I must go." The woman kissed the girl's head and stood up. She looked down at the girl again and gave her a knowing stare.

"I will stay here." The girl understood exactly what the look meant.

"Good girl." The woman then padded away. Her footfalls were soft and cautious. They floated into the forest, following a brutish trail in the brush up a hill. The screams were suddenly wrenched from the air in a pitiful gurgle as the woman recognized the sound of the beast dying. She continued on her path, itching to see the carcass and ensure it was truly deceased.

She found it on the beach. She peered over the edge of the cliff and stared down at its mangled form. The right wing had been cleaved in half, skull bashed in, and its blood soaked the sands. She looked for the source of the damage, but could see nothing but footsteps leading away from the beast.

There were others in the forest. Others who had slain a daemon. A Fury nonetheless.

As she turned to head back into the forest, she felt there was something else in the air. She closed her eyes and tried to sense for it. It was like electricity, humming and soaring through the wind currents. A jolt ran through her, from feet up to her chest and then along her shoulders to hands as a signal that something was amiss. It was something she had not felt for a long time; powerful, beguiling... magical and ancient.

Turning from the beach and the cliff, she headed back to the forest. She walked to where the other footsteps in the sand met the tree line and began to follow. She was no tracker, but whoever these people were did not need someone skilled to follow them. They had left a trail a mile wide in their wake. She spotted a few droplets of blood on a nearby branch, leaves dotted with red.

Was this blood from the beast left to rot on the beach? Or was this one of its slayers'?

She followed the trail as far as she could and then lost it when the forest grew thicker. Standing on an incline up a small hill, she looked out among the trees in hopes that the flora would give her a sign of which way to go. The breeze picked up, carrying with it the sensation of electricity again. It hummed and buzzed like the wings of a hummingbird, leading her further up the hill.

A cave. The forest had led her to a cave.

She stood at the entrance and peered into the darkness. The whole area hummed with magic, rippling through her, wave after wave like the crashing sea. As the breeze blew through the trees, the sunlight cast rays into the darkness and revealed markings. Ancient, significant, etched into the stone walls with magic. As more sunlight burst through the treetops of the great Maples, she spotted a stilled figure on a stone table.

It was a man.

She moved into the cave, the sense that something was wrong prickling at her skin. She walked to one side of the table and looked over the man. His shirt had been removed to reveal he was bleeding from a series of long gashes across his right side to his chest. Obviously, the claw of the Fury had ripped through his flesh life a knife through butter. His breathing was shallow and labored, eyes closed and beads of sweat trailing over forehead and face.

She looked back at the wound and gently reached out, unafraid, to touch the angry flesh with her delicate fingers. His skin seared with fever, her cold fingers doing nothing to quench it. She could see it was becoming infected by the daemon's touch. He did not have long left to live.

"Can you hear me?" Her voice was soft and tender, like a feather floating down from the sky. She leaned over him, tossing her long, golden hair, which had been tied into a tail, over her shoulder and away from his body. She moved her free hand to his forehead and felt for fever, brushing away the beads of sweat from his brow with her thumb.

Her eyes scanned his face and then she tilted her head to the left to examine the strange markings on the flesh of his skull. They were intricate, ancient, meaningful marks that had turned to scars in his flesh. She peered up at the walls of the cave, recognizing that the marks on him were the same marks etched into the stone. Her gaze fell upon his face again. His eyes remained closed and lips slightly parted. He slumbered in his weakened state, torn and battered from battling the great beast on the beach.

She felt something radiate from him. The same humming she had felt at the beach and in the forest. It was magic. He was channeling magic. No... he **is** magic.

Her eyes narrowed as her gaze became skeptical. She examined his markings again, allowing a finger to trace them before returning her hand to his hair. She looked down upon him once more, his form appearing to sleep, but his soul venturing further and further away.

"You cannot be..." Her words were a warm breath on the wind, carried to his ear and caressing his mind. Her thumb brushed over his forehead again in an almost affectionate manner. Her face was now empty as she debated with herself and the strong feeling she had in her heart. Finally, she relinquished. "You are, aren't you?"

She looked down at his wound again and let her fingers delicately dance over his bronzed skin. She could feel muscle, taut and firm, beneath his skin and protecting his bones. The wounds looked angry and painful. She took her hand back and reached into a small leather satchel at her hip, searching for something in its recesses. She found an oblong, smooth amber crystal and pulled it forth.

She placed the stone nearest his wounds, balancing it easily on his abdomen. She hovered her hand over his wound and the amber, left hand remaining on his head. Her fingers brushed through his hair in a calming manner and then sat heavily on his crown. She closed her eyes and felt the warm sensation build in her chest and then radiate through her arms, releasing itself through her hands in a soft golden glow.

She was startled after a moment when the man jolted awake and caught her right wrist unyieldingly in his large hand. He twisted her wrist upwards, pain searing up her forearm. He growled and groaned, trying to pull his thoughts together. She looked down at him, seeing the panic in his eyes and cooed to him.

"Calm down. I only wish to help." Her voice was soft, gently, reassuring. Her hand in his hair moved, fingers tenderly rubbing over his skull to calm him. "Please. I need my hand back."

"What is your name, witch?" His deep, rumbling voice was littered with pain. His jaw tensed and his body shook. She could see him growing angrier, fiercer. "Your name!"

"I am no witch." She kept herself calm easily, stroking his hair and meeting his intense gaze. "My name is not important. What is important, _Druid,_ is that you need healing or else you will perish here in this cave."

"How do you know what I am?" His words were a growl as his eyes narrowed at her in surprise that she knew what he was. His jaw tensed and teeth gritted together, body in so much pain from his wounds. He raised his head and her hand fell away.

"I have not seen one of your kind in a long while. That can only mean that you have a great purpose here and now. A purpose that you cannot afford the long sleep that death brings." Her words were steady and thoughtful, easy and purposeful. Even in his despicable state, he could sense she was unafraid and resolute. It was as if she already knew this tale; knew the words and the rhyme as though she had lived through it before.

"What are you?" His voice had lost its ferocity and instead was growing softer with intrigue. He felt no malice from her. Instead, her presence calmed him; warmed him as one might at the meeting of an old friend.

"A healer." She looked at her right wrist, the one he held onto firmly, and then met his gaze again. "Let me heal you, Druid. I feel you have much left to do in this world."

She did feel it; in her bones, her blood, her soul. Something had led her to him purposefully. The forest, the breeze, the earth had led her to this cave and to him. To heal him. To save him. To save the last Druid.

The Druid considered her for a long moment. Fresh sweat beaded at his brow as the pain in his abdomen grew with each passing moment. The features of his face stiffened, muscles taut as he tried to keep his head raised. Slowly he released her wrist, letting his arm fall to his side as he laid his head back down. She returned her left hand to his head and brushed away the sweat, allowing her chilled fingers to cool the skin of his face. She placed her hand to his forehead, his temple, his cheek. She cupped his cheek and brushed her thumb over his cheekbone beneath his eye.

"You are safe, Druid. Relax." She smiled warmly down at him and then looked back to her right hand. She picked up the amber and set it back on his abdomen before hovering her hand over it and his wound. She stood up straight and closed her eyes. She felt the healing energy build up within her again and then travel through her arms to her hands where the golden glow grew.

"You wield magic." The Druid's voice was soft and labored. She opened her eyes and stared across the cave to the stone wall.

"I suppose you can call it that." She gave a small shrug and smiled down at him with big blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dark light of the cave. " _Vis_ is what I call it."

"I do not know this tongue." The Druid explained as he stared up at the ceiling of the cave. She looked back at her right hand, at the golden glow that emitted from her palm. She examined his wounds as they slowly crept closed, healing up into nothing more than thin scars.

"A language long since forgotten." She breathed out as though finding herself lost in her ability. She turned her head and found that the Druid stared at her with dark, warm brown eyes that reminded her of the richest soil. They were the eyes of a man who had seen much more than he was meant to. Despite his outward appearance that spoke of a man in his mid-life, his eyes told another story.

She looked away from his gaze and back at his wounds. They had nearly healed, but they were deep within the muscle and muscle was harder to repair. She felt the glow, the energy, flow harder through her and into his wounds. She met his eyes once more and placed her hand back on his crown, fingers playing in his dark hair. She felt more energy emerging from her left hand, a soft blue glow starting from her palm.

The Druid suddenly realized she was not only healing his body. A calm came over his mind, one he had not felt before, and spread throughout him.

"What are you doing to me?" The Druid asked, voice heavy and eyes beginning to close.

"I am calming your mind so that you may have a restful sleep." She answered without shame, continuing her ministrations in his hair. "Let it overcome you."

The Druid's eyes began to close, his breathing becoming gentle and steady. A hand caught her arm, the one that's hand sat on his head, and gripped her firmly.

"Your name." The Druid's voice was heavy. "Tell me your name."

"If we should ever meet again," the woman with the light golden hair and deep blue eyes, leaned closer to his face with a serene smile on her pink lips, "we will exchange names as equals, Druid."

She lowered her lips to his forehead and pressed them tenderly to his skin. The Druid felt his will drain away and closed his eyes once more, succumbing to the restful sleep she had promised.

She pulled her lips away from him, smiling at the slumbering Druid, and looked to her healing hand. His wounds had healed on the surface and were nearly completed below. Another moment went by before she was completely finished. She felt the energy dissipate and the glow faded. She withdrew the oblong amber from his abdomen, allowing her fingers to gently trace the remnants of his battle wounds. She looked to his face and found herself smiling once more as she took in his visage.

His face was chiseled as though from stone, but his features held warmth. His skin was bronzed as though the sun itself had bestowed the color upon him. Shoulders were broad as well as back. Chest was muscled and taut. He reminded her of an Alder tree; strong and resolute with branches embracing those who sought shelter beneath his arms.

"You certainly are the most handsome Druid my eyes have ever lain upon. May you accomplish what you are here for and find happiness along the way." She leaned over him, hand brushing through his tendrils, and lowered her lips to his cheek. "Astra inclinant, sed non obligant. Good luck."

She released her hand from his head and headed out of the cave. She looked to her left and then to her right, heading back down the hill. She never looked back, but held a smile on her lips as she headed for the river.

"We shall meet again my dearest Druid."

* * *

Astra inclinant, sed non obligant - the stars incline us, they do not bind us


	2. Chapter 2

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

Footsteps stormed through the palace, sandaled feet slapping against the marble and cloth swishing harshly back and forth from a long skirt. Golden hair swayed left to right, bouncing up and down like a horse's tail. The figure, a woman, carried herself confidently and defiantly, through the long white halls as elves, emissary and guards watched her streak by them.

"Please, wait!" A rich voice called out from behind the storming woman, a flash of white and gold following her as she rounded the corner of the hall. The woman burst through the large double doors into the Throne Room like a wild, beautiful hurricane.

"Excuse you." A man, an elf, slender in frame with warm chestnut hair and bright blue eyes snapped at her. He took a careful step down off the throne platform, a hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He narrowed his gaze. "Who do you think you are barging into the Throne Room unannounced?"

"Where is she?" The woman demanded, voice stern yet calm as though she had nothing to fear from these men. She demanded an answer, but she was not angry. All eyes in the room befell her and when no one spoke, she posed her question again in a softer tone, "Where is she? There was a note stating that she was being taken here to the palace."

"How about you answer my question first. Who are you?" The young elf with dark chestnut hair and bright blue eyes questioned again, standing to the right of the king. The young woman walked gracefully and halted at the steps to the throne, staring up at the king and his two sons. Her eyes drifted between them and after a moment she met the king's gaze once more. Her eyes pleaded and his expression remained statuesque as though awaiting a different reaction from her.

"Please, where is she? Tell me she is here and safe." The woman spoke again, her voice calm as though she need not worry about her words nor the reactions of those around her. She did not fear retribution nor the forfeit of her own life. Not after all she has seen, has done.

The king recognized this in her. Something about the way she held herself; the way she met his gaze unabashed, unwavering. He found it intriguing.

"Answer our question, woman, and identify yourself." The other son, to the left of the king with sandy hair tied up in a bun at the back of his head, demanded with venom in his tone.

"Her name is Aless." The king placed a hand on his older son's shoulder, drawing him back as he noticed his temper flare. The woman's face, Aless' face, went unchanged. She and the king had known of each other for many years, though they had never met face to face before. The king had heard stories of her, knew of her abilities, understood exactly of whom she was searching for.

"Father?" The son left standing back on the platform questioned, eyes betraying his confusion.

"Calm yourself, sons." The king looked back at the young woman and offered her a kind, kingly smile. "I would gladly offer you up the one you seek if I only knew of whom you speak. Where is **who** , my dear?"

"Please do not, _dear_ me." She retorted, her words holding power and harshness behind them, though she tried to restrain herself. She heard footsteps and saw from the corner of her eyes knights march into the Throne Room. Her eyes wandered back forward to face the king. "I am not here to cause a disturbance. Simply tell me where she is and do not ask me 'who' again. You know exactly of whom I speak. She has sandy hair with green eyes like spring grass. A laugh that could calm the harshest summer wind, wearing a pale yellow dress. We were separated in the forest near the Silver River today. When I returned to fetch her, she was gone with only this note in her place."

The woman pulled out a piece of ratty cloth from her satchel. She held it out, words written crudely onto it in some kind of ink she did not recognize.

"Where is she? Where is my sister?" The voice that had followed her through the long halls finally entered the Throne Room. He was a tall man, broad of shoulder and strong of back, with strawberry blonde hair. His bright grey eyes seemed to glow in the light of the sun that came pouring in from the windows. His bootsteps fell heavily, thudding against the solid floor.

"Bjorn, what is the meaning of all this ruckus?" The king questioned, standing straighter as the young man took to the young woman's side. The king could see the resemblance now that they stood side by side as equals in arms. The chiseled features, the stoic beauty, the eyes that told of stories from long ago. The king's eyes rested on Bjorn, a young emissary he had learned to trust over the many years. He was no elf, but still, he had proven his worth to the elven king.

"Please excuse the intrusion, my lord." Bjorn gave a deep bow, hand over heart, and stood straight again. The intense, militaristic royal blue dress uniform he wore was taut over his muscled chest and shoulders, gold and silver medals clinging to the single pocket on his left breast. Bjorn's eyes cast sideways at the woman, who looked to him with exasperation in her eyes. "She does not mean to be _disrespectful_ , sire."

"Disrespectful...?" Her eyes were calm, collected, like two pools of the darkest blue water beneath a full moon. Her voice bit the word out as confusion befell her. She searched for an answer in Bjorn's gaze. Why was she the one seen as disrespectful? Bjorn's features twist, demanding that she realize her station in the palace. She looks back to the king after another long stare and stands straight with shoulders back in silent forfeit.

"I do apologize for my haste and temperament, king." The woman's voice, though ceded, still held an insolent tone or rebellion. She gave a small bow of her head, eyes turned to the man at her right with a sharp gaze. Bjorn felt her anger and her contempt through her gaze. He could do nothing except look away to ease the hole she was burning through him.

"No disrespect was meant and none was felt. Amusement more than anything for an old king with nothing left to do except babysit the realm." The king finally spoke gruffly and placed his hands behind his back, chest puffing out. He rocked back and forth on his heels, staring down at the two at the base of the throne platform. His eyes held a glint of playfulness.

"Eventine," The woman began as she raised her head again. "My brother writes to me, speaking highly of you and your kindness. Please, if you have her, I beg you return her to my care where she is safest."

"Who do you think you are using the king's name so casually?" The older of the two sons, Arion, snapped at her and dared to draw his sword on her. The point met her throat and she turned her head slightly to stare at him with calm resolve.

"You wish me dead? Over the use of your father's name?" She was not frightened nor was she shocked, but she was slightly perplexed. She saw Bjorn's right hand move to the hilt of his sword in cautious preparation to defend his sister. She reached out a hand to him, placing it on his arm gently to stop him. Her touch was powerful, comforting, and he could do nothing other than follow her silent command.

"Don't Bjorn. He is a boy. One who wishes only to defend his father's honor." Her words held heavy in the air. Her eyes glanced at him sideways and Bjorn let his hand on the hilt of his sword run loose.

"Arion, cease this foolishness. Withdraw your sword before you start a war you cannot win." The king growled in firm finality and moved down the steps of this throne. He stood beside his son and waited for him to follow instruction.

"But father..." Arion began to argue. However, one look at the expression on his father's stern face ceased his thoughts and words. After a long moment Arion did so, sliding his sword back into the hilt on his hip.

"You are lucky." Arion growled lowly, but to whom neither of the siblings knew.

"Whom is it your sister searches for exactly?" The king addressed Bjorn and the young emissary stood straight to meet the king's gaze respectfully.

"Her young Charge, sire. She was traveling with her through the forest on their way to visit me." Bjorn replied, feeling his sister's eyes on him. The woman turned her head again and looked to the king, sizing him up.

"Yes, she is my Charge, my student, and I want her back." She demanded gently again, feeling a tugging in her heart.

"Yes, that much is evident I would say." The king's voice held a twinge of liveliness in it, eyes seeming to shimmer again with playfulness once again. "You say you found a note. May I examine it?"

The woman held out the cloth with the scribbled note on it and the king took it, examining it carefully:

 _We found the little girl alone and frightened._

 _She said something about an uncle at the Palace of Arborlon._

 _We were heading to the palace anyway. We will keep her safe._

"She was taken and brought here or so I was led to believe." The woman continued, feeling the air in the room change. Suddenly the tension in the room fell away. The king lifted his gaze, becoming more jovial.

"You were right to believe this note." The king handed the cloth back to her. "A young girl matching the description you spoke of arrived here earlier with my niece her two companions. She was without shoes."

The woman's face split at a smile, one of worry dissipating, spread across her lips. She reached for her satchel and stuck a hand inside, searching for something in its recesses.

"Yes, she would be barefoot." The woman explained and pulled forth two tiny sandals meant for a child's foot. They were well worn and dirty. "She likes the feel of the earth between her toes."

"It would appear she is in need of a new pair." The king jested gently and the woman gave a small laugh, eyes welling with tears. Her heart gave a flutter of joy. She had worried so horribly. When she had returned to the river, the girl had vanished. No tracks, no signs of any kind of which way she had gone. Just a note, scratched onto a rather ratty piece of cloth.

"Guards, bring in the girl!" The king raised a hand towards a door on his right with a warm smile on his lips. The door opened and two knights stepped out. However, a third man appeared behind them, dressed in robes and leather armor from foot to neck. He was shorter than the guards yet taller than the woman by at least half a foot. He had broad shoulders like her brother, dark chocolate hued hair that had been shaved from neck to half way up his head, fading out. Markings scared his flesh round his neck and skull; intricate and ancient.

"Ah good! You both came." The king looked at the man in the robes with a broad smile, arms open in welcome. The woman never looked away from the man with the markings. Something drew her to him, locked her gaze on him. His dark yet oddly warm, intimidating eyes met her blue orbs. Surprise became evident on both their faces.

"It's _You_..." The woman acknowledged with disbelief evident in her tone and on her face. She was neither angry nor bothered. Instead, she was calm and full of resolve. It comforted her in a way that it had been him to find the girl. "Druid."

It **was** him. Wholly and truly. The one she had met earlier that very same day. The same man, who had lain hours before on a stone table nearing his final breath.

" _You_. The healer." The Druid's voice was low and rough, though it held no malice. Only bewilderment. He walked closer to her with the small girl, no older than six, holding tightly to his large gloved hand.

"Amita!" The small girl cried out from the Druid's side, holding onto his hand tightly as though she would her father's. The woman's face in an instant changed at the sound of the high-pitched cry. Her features warmed and her eyes grew squinted as a large smile formed on her pink lips, pushing her cheeks upwards. A great smile burst onto the girl's little lips, splitting her face from ear to ear. Her little bare feet slapped against the cool, marble floor, echoing throughout the hall as she skipped alongside the Druid. She seemed bent on holding his hand until the last second.

"I see you two have already met." The king's words were lost on the Druid and the woman. They stared at each other again, both not quite registering anything else or anyone else in the room. The Druid stopped beside the king and released the girl's hand, clasping his hands before him then. The woman dropped to her knees, split skirt splayed across the floor and scooped the girl up into her arms tightly. She closed her eyes and picked the girl up, keeping her embrace firm and loving. She swayed back and forth, pressing her lips into the girl's sandy colored hair.

"Now that is taken care of." The king announced as he looked to the Druid and then to Bjorn, giving them a single nod. He ushered his sons and himself out of the Throne Room, leaving the four to remain behind. He sensed some greater conversation needed to take place, the air in the room having changed yet again.

"I was so worried about you, Aria." The woman's voice was small and gentle like the breath of the first spring breeze. She pulled back to look at the small girl, who had wrapped her legs tightly around the woman's middle with her arms around her neck loosely. The girl's hands played in the loose hair of the woman's ponytail, curling her fingers in it. "I asked you to stay by the river, Aria. You swore you would till I returned for you. Did you not believe me? Have I ever broken my promises to you?"

"But, Amita, I did stay. I swear." Aria's voice rose in pitch as she feared the woman might be angry with her. The woman's eyes held no anger though. Never anger at the girl. Only worry and relief.

"She is telling you the truth. She did stay by the river." The Druid spoke up in Aria's defense as he looked from Aria to the woman, eyes locking with hers again. "My companions and I found her by the river. Alone. Wil Ohmsford left the note for you to find."

"You make it a habit of snatching unaccompanied children, Druid?" Bjorn's voice was low and sneering as his grey eyes stormed. The Druid looked to the emissary, no emotion evident on his face. The woman watched the interaction carefully, sensing something brewing beneath the calm resolve the Druid portrayed. He had greater things to worry about than her brother's temper.

"I kept hearing noises in the forest. I got scared." Aria quipped up quickly, trying to explain as tears began to form in her eyes. The woman's gaze was back on her in an instant. "I thought something might have happened to you, Amita! I waited for you to find me though, but you didn't come back and then he found me."

Aria pointed to the Druid and the woman's gaze befell him once more. She felt an internal battle raging within herself. Stress, relief, joy, confusion… all mingled and clashed within her heart.

"Druid," The woman spoke respectfully and stood a bit straighter with the girl in her arms. One arm rested beneath the girl's rump, holding her up while the other rested against her back. The woman shook her head and smiled at the Druid, "How may I repay your kindness?"

This surprised the Druid even more. Had saving his life not been enough?

"You owe me nothing." The Druid replied and clasped his gloved hands before him once more as he took her in again. She was smaller than him with a frame that spoke of her athleticism, but was still feminine. Her arms held muscle as well as her legs, reminding him of a willow tree. Strong, billowy, soft at the heart. Her shoulders held back and straight was her spine from years of obvious careful instruction. Her hair was rich golden blonde that competed with the sunlight pouring in from the window. It fell to her lower back in waves from the ponytail nestled at the back of her head. On her hands, he could barely make out small markings in an odd white coloration. They seemed to start at her fingers, curling and ebbing up her hands to her wrists and beneath the sleeves of her shirt. They made him question further who exactly this woman was.

"I owe you everything." The woman replied and the Druid noticed the seriousness in her voice, the worry that still lingered behind her eyes. The Druid understood that the girl, Aria, meant more to her than he expected; more than she meant to reveal. He realized suddenly what the term the young girl had used towards the woman. He had heard it before.

"Amita... You are her aunt then." The Druid's words were finite and sure, realizing the language from which the term originated. The woman, smile growing soft, nodded her head as she saw recognition streak across the Druid's features.

"I am." She admitted softly, looking down at Aria in her arms. "Which means I owe you much more than you realize."

"You saved my life today." The Druid spoke once more and his voice was like a wave crashing upon rock; strong, rugged, and deep. It sent a vibration through the woman's bones like electricity through a rod. His eyes fell onto the girl and then a small, almost forced smile rested upon his lips. "Protecting your Charge was the least I could do."

She looked back down at her niece, who smiled big and toothy back at her. The Druid waited for her to speak and could see that she was struggling to put words to her emotions. She met his gaze again. He realized that her expression was one he had seen before in the cave when she told him to relax. When she was saving his life, and bringing peace to his mind. It was comforting and warming, like coming home.

"Please," he tried again, seeming to break himself free of whatever magic she was conjuring over him, "I require nothing in return. Knowing she is safe and back with those who care about her is enough."

The situation he found himself in was slightly uncomfortable. He was not used to the gratitude, the smiles, the warmth. It unnerved him in a way he was not prepared for. Not so soon after waking anyway.

"Druid, please understand that I must give you something. You saved Aria, a girl you did not know, from the kindness of your heart." The woman urged again, hoping he would tell her something she could do. She _needed_ to thank him in some way. It was only polite. "Please allow me the same courtesy."

"Just give in, Druid." Bjorn's voice finally piped up, bored and slightly annoyed. "She won't cede on the matter. It's her nature to be such an annoying goody."

"One of us must be." The woman retorted quickly, eyeing her brother at her side though the Druid could sense no malice in her words or features. They were teasing each other.

"Amita! Patruus! I know what we can give him!" Aria chirped and wiggled in the woman's arms to get down. The woman put the girl down and kneeled before her, allowing the child to whisper in her ear. _"Make him one of your flowers!"_

"No, Ria. The Druid does not care for trinkets like that." Bjorn looked back at the Druid as though expecting him to decline such a modest thing. "Do you, Druid? Your taste runs more expensive, I think."

"The Druids care little of worldly possessions." The Druid retorted, eyes narrowing slightly at the emissary.

"You'll like this one!" Aria exclaimed, trying to convince him to change his mind. She moved away from her aunt and took the Druid's gloved hand in her own, tugging on it with earnest. "Amita is the greatest at this. Everyone at home says she makes the prettiest flowers."

"If **you** insist then, little one." The Druid gave a half smile at the child on his arm and the woman found the sight a comfort as though she and Aria had done something right to elicit such a reaction. A tender look appeared on the woman's face, her eyes warm and expression loving. She stood up and cupped her hands before herself, closing her eyes. She took a small breath, feeling a warm sensation forming in her palms as a small green light emitted.

"See? I told you!" Aria exclaimed, excited at what had appeared in her aunt's hands. The Druid said nothing. He could find no words to express what he had seen. A single, white rose bud appeared in the woman's hands and bloomed fully with petals splayed. The woman nodded for her niece to come closer and placed the flower in her hands. "Offer it to him, Ria, and tell him thank you for keeping you safe."

Aria did as she was instructed and walked closer to the Druid, little bare feet slapping against the marble. She lifted her cupped hands up, rose in them, and offered the flower to the man. The Druid took the delicate flower in one of his gloved hands and looked down at it. His gaze slid upwards and met the woman, gears in his mind working; always working she could see.

Did he realize what she was? Or was he simply trying to work it out? – She wondered with a smirk etching itself onto the corner of her lips.

"Thank you for saving me, sir." Aria's voice was small and high-pitched as young girl's voices are. She gave a small curtsey in her yellow dress and then moved back to the safety of her aunt's arms.

"Good girl." The woman cooed to her niece, rubbing hand over her back and shoulders. She met the gaze of the Druid again.

"I wish to speak with you." The Druid posed the request and gave a sideways glance at Bjorn. In a flash, his gaze was back on the woman before him. "Alone perhaps."

She too found she wished to speak with him privately.

"Aria," she spoke up confidently and meaningfully, "go with your uncle and see if he cannot find you a new pair of shoes."

"But Amita!" Aria began to refuse. However, one stern look from her aunt silenced her. She knew better than to argue with her. It was a losing battle that she had never won.

"Come little one." Bjorn announced, meeting his sister's gaze and understanding her request. He felt his niece's eyes peering up at him with disbelief.

"But Patruus!" Aria looked up at her uncle in his regal attire and tried to whine her way out of being sent away. He outstretched a hand to her, awaiting her little mitt to take it without ever looking down at her.

"Let's leave the _grownups_ to speak." Bjorn's grey eyes sparkled with mischief as he turned gaze eyes onto her. "And see what we can scrounge up for those troll feet of yours."

"I don't have troll feet, Patruus!" Aria scolded him, but took his hand anyway with a defiant smile. Bjorn laughed and then took a quick moment to size up the Druid. The Druid met his stare and gave a small bow of his head as if to confirm that the woman would be safe in his presence. Bjorn gave a scathing snort, wondering briefly if the Druid understood that it was not his sister's safety he was worried about, but the Druid's. He knew his sister could handle herself. She had been since she, herself, was Aria's age.

"Play nice, sister!" Bjorn called out as he led Aria out of the Throne Room, having the guards close the doors behind them. The woman waited a moment, listening to the patter of their footsteps as they led away. She then slowly looked back to the Druid, neither speaking. They locked into a silent battle, a staring contest of sorts, awaiting the other to speak first.

"Well, this should be interesting." The woman cracked a smirk at the Druid as her blue orbs sparked with mischief. "Where should we begin, Druid?"

* * *

Amita = aunt, paternal father's sister

Patruus = uncle, paternal father's brother


	3. Chapter 3

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~The Throne Room~

The woman continued to stare the Druid down with eyes sparked by mischief. She could sense that nothing about her unsettled him in the least. He obviously had been faced with much worse and much uglier beings before; she would not be his undoing.

Neither would he be hers, he noticed. He watched carefully as she moved about the room, her skirt swaying and matching the rhythm of her hair. She came to rest beneath the sunlight streaking through the high windows and warmed her skin like a flower perking up and blossoming.

"It's been a while since I could spare the time to stand still and enjoy the sun. I do miss it." She announced and smiled at the feeling of warmth crawling over her skin. The Druid watched her with interest, eyes trailing over her again as though sizing her up in one fell swoop. Her dress was odd. Odd to him anyway. It had been a while since he walked the earth and many things appeared to have changed without him. It was only natural.

He examined her dress again; slitted skirt white as fresh snow with taut golden pants beneath that hugged her curvy, muscular legs. Her top was white also with a deep slit in the front tied loosely with thick cord that exposed the top of her chest and breasts. The sleeves billowed and drooped over her hands with small intricate gold designs on the ends. At her middle was a golden corset, tied loosely enough for her to breathe and move easily, but tight enough to expose her hourglass frame. Her feet were sandaled up and around her calves with leather cord.

Markings stained the tops of her feet in intricate patterns very similarly to the markings on her hands. They were white and faded as though becoming lost to time. He recognized them. Somewhere along in his Druid training he had seen them before.

"Lost to your thoughts, Druid?" She could sense his eyes lingering on her, but could not figure out quite why. It did not bother her much though. She was accustomed to the attention people gave her and slowly, in his silence, she assumed he was thinking the same about her that everyone else did.

"I understand my appearance is strange. Kind of haunting or so some have told me." Her words were gentle and unabashed, but he could hear a kind of sadness to them. A sadness she had suppressed. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him, seeing his demeanor had not altered. "Some people in my village believe my beauty is enchanted itself."

"Is it?" He could not help but to ask, though he knew the answer as soon as the words had slipped away from his lips. "Enchanted by magic, I mean."

"Of course not, Druid." She gave a small, warm laugh that made him relax into his leather armor and his stance. He released his hands, which he had not realized were clenched at his sides, and let them hang loosely. He would not have doubted her answer had it been the opposite.

He was a Druid and that came first above all, even worldly pleasures, but he was also still a man who was certainly not blind when it came to beauty. It was plain to see that she was gorgeous and, yes, it was in a haunting way, but not the manner others found it. He assumed others feared it, feared her and her abilities. Magic was after all a taboo and most feared what they did not understand; could not understand.

He understood though. He understood that her features only portrayed the inner beauty of her soul; as above, so below. She was practical, but kind, honest, and prudent. Above all, she was warmhearted and carried a natural brightness with her as though the sun itself sought her company. She was the embodiment of something so familiar, yet so distant in his memory that he could not recall. Her delicate features, feminine features, spoke of divinity and an inner strength that was held back by forced, learned propriety.

Her brother shared similar features; high cheekbones, a heart shaped face, eyes that enchanted the mind. But, it was also her eyes that set them apart. While Bjorn's were a stormy grey, stern and unyielding that one wanted to avert from, hers were a warm, deep blue that beckoned attention. Demanded it.

"Though I suppose it could be true. How would I possibly know the difference?" She opened her eyes and took a deep breath, sighing as she savored the warmth of the sun on her skin. Her hair, tied back with cord, bounced as she nodded her head in agreement with herself. Perhaps she had been enchanted and never realized it. "That's possible, isn't it? To be enchanted and not realize it?"

"Yes, it is possible. Magic is a fickle mistress that way; a cruel mistress. But I do not believe that to be truth in your case." He assured her, tilting his head to the side to gain a better look at her. He confirmed to himself that her eyes **were** haunting and otherworldly, just as she was told. They were deep blue pools that grew to near white towards the center just before the small black speck of her pupil. A tunnel to which at the bottom one could see their own reflection staring back at them; the darkness that lurked beneath in their heart of hearts. That is what made them haunting. That is what made people fear them and become drawn to them at the same time.

They were also pensive though, thoughtful. They showed an inner reflection of one who was much older than the young woman was. Someone who knew much more than she ought to, had experienced much more than she should have.

 _Who is this woman?_ – He wondered to himself, finding he was growing frustrated by the lack of knowing. He should know. He should have figured it out by now. It was there, plain before his eyes, and yet he was blinded by her magic.

"You said something to me earlier in the cave." The Druid began, pulling his gaze away from her visage in the sunlight.

"I said many things to you in the cave while I believed you were delirious." She replied, turning her face and squinting against the light in her eyes. Her lips hosted a ghost of a smirk on them as she moistened them and chewed gently on the corner of her lower lip.

"Yes, you did." He confirmed seriously and his seriousness only made her laugh again. She had met many men like him.

"You druids, always too serious for their own good." She laughed again and turned her head back to face the sun once more. A smile plastered itself to her lips, brightening her features, "Which part were you referring to, Druid?"

"If we should we meet again, you would tell you my name." He concluded and waited patiently for her to respond. The woman gave another laugh that was wholehearted and jovial.

"And to think I had believed you were so disoriented during the whole ordeal that, surely, you would not remember a word spoken when you had awoke again."

Yet, he **did** remember and, to her disbelief, this was the most pressing question he felt he needed to ask her. Not about her abilities or her healing or even how she had come to be in the cave at that very moment at all. Her name... that was what he wanted to know.

"Alessandra." Her voice was soft, airy, almost so that the Druid did not believe his ears at first. His gaze returned to her face, greeted by the intensity of her big blue orbs staring back at him again.

 _Most certainly haunting._ – He told himself, as her eyes seemed to sparkle in the light of the sun; sapphires that a weaker man might lose himself in if he were not careful. But, while he was not a weak man and they both knew that, he did find something attractive about her gaze that seemed to bewitch him. This knowledge bothered him yet seemed to amuse her a good deal.

"My name is Alessandra." Her lips, pink and full, curved upwards as a heartwarming smile broke across her face as though greeting an old friend. It lessened the intensity of her gaze and made her appear younger. "Most call me, Aless. Some prefer Alessi."

"And which do you prefer?" He questioned and could see that she liked he had asked this. She took a moment to consider his question, looking ahead of her again at the small oval windows behind the throne.

"Alessandra." She relinquished and turned herself to face him fully once more. The sun caught her side and warmed part of her back. She clasped her hands before her, lacing her fingers together and stood straight, confidently before him. "I prefer Alessandra."

"Alessandra, it is then. I am Allanon." He too stood straighter, shoulders back and lifting his chin. The leather robes he wore seemed to become tauter, if at all possible, over his muscled chest and shoulders. He eyes locked on her in an undefinable battle of wills.

"Allanon." She repeated his name, letting it drip over her lips like a kind of trophy. She mulled it over in her head and then nodded. "It suits you."

He didn't respond and she found herself slowly looking to his right side where his wounds had been. She tried to detect a sign that she had not healed him properly, but his actions nor his stance gave anything away.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as her eyebrows knitted together gently, concern creasing her brow.

"I am here and alive." He spoke surely and made no notion that the wound ailed him currently. However, her curiosity and worry got the better of her.

"I thought you would have been too exhausted after it all to be walking around honestly." She moved closer to him, standing a foot before him and reached a hand towards his abdomen. Before he could react, her hand pressed firmly to his side and he could feel the pressure of her palm through his leathers.

"It does not ail you?" Her eyes darted upwards though her head remained where it was. She could sense, through her palm, something was not quite right. Something was possibly still unhealed or broken.

"No." He replied stiffly as he met her stare, eyes locking. She could see defiance burning within him. A stupid masculine defiance.

"Are you sure about that?" She narrowed her eyes and suddenly pressed her hand in harder. He hissed, teeth gritted and face twisted. She growled out at herself, "Dammit, I knew it."

She pulled her hand away and leaned back from him, shaking her head at herself and her work. Allanon took his right arm and wrapped it around his abdomen to caress his left side where she had pushed him.

"I am sorry." She released in a sympathetic breath of someone who had realized what she had just done. She had not meant to push so hard, hurt him so badly. "Bone and skin are easy, but muscle is always the hardest to repair. So many fibers that need to be reconnected."

"It will heal in time." Allanon declared and straightened, hand resting on his side where hers had been a moment ago.

"Yes, but it would heal faster with my help." She retorted, feeling badly that she had not finished the job the first time. "I promise I am better than that, more skilled, more careful."

 _Why hadn't I made sure? –_ She scolded herself and made to reach out again to him. He lifted a palm to halt her. She met his gaze and saw the finality within them.

"That will not be necessary." His eyes seemed to warm a bit as his full lips hosted a ghost of a smile. He could already sense her disappointment at being turned away. "I can handle a bit of pain until it heals. You already saved my life. You and your strange magic."

"Not magic, Druid." She was quick to correct him, eyes immediately returning to meet his stare. His demeanor changed and his features twisted in uncertainty, sensing something was off about her at the mention of magic.

Had he struck a nerve? He could not place his finger on what was off about her. He knew what she was. He could feel it, but why could he not give it a name? Recall what her kind were called? Was this an after effect of the Druid Sleep?

"It's energy." Alessandra looked down at her hands and flexed her fingers as though she could see the energy flowing through her. She could sense it beneath her skin, in her blood. "Pure and untainted. That warped version others use, that is _magic_ and it's highly toxic."

"Others." Allanon was suddenly testing her, feeling the term leave a bitter taste in his mouth. She could sense she had misspoken, but that he was not above listening to her reason. Allanon released his hand from his side. "By this I assume you mean the Druids."

"Yes, in a sense, I suppose." Alessandra took a moment to compose her thoughts carefully and walked away from him, coming to stand beneath the light of the sun once more. It was comforting, recharging in a way. She walked up the stair of the throne's platform and to one of the odd oval windows. A potted fern sat there in the light, branches and leaves drooping with neglect.

Allanon followed behind her, watching her through the rungs of the arch that sat on either side of the throne, covering it. Her fingers gently brushed through the leaves as though it were hair or fur of a beloved pet. Her features grew somber and pensive. She stared at the plant, her side to Allanon's view as the sunlight cast her in partial shadow. He took a single step onto the stairs and tilted his head slightly. His eyes held her form like a vice as he observed her ministrations to the fern, watching her delicate fingers run over the leaves that looked as though they had been ignored.

He moved closer, footsteps noiseless as he climbed the last three steps of the throne's platform. He came to stand a few feet beside her, also being cast in partial shadow as many of the oval windows held plants on their ledges and blocked the light.

"Druid magic," Alessandra began, feeling his presence near her. She could sense his magic. It was like the warmth from a hearth; heavy, radiating. She licked her lips and continued, "your magic, is similar to my abilities. Both are elemental in nature. Drawn from the earth, air, fire and water in numerous forms."

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air and sensing the sickliness of the plant before her. It saddened her and left her with the feeling that something greater was wrong in the world.

 _But what was it? –_ She wondered as she recalled a similar feeling she had gotten upon arriving in the strange elven palace. A kind of shroud, a heaviness that threatened to suffocate her; as though something was being dragged beneath the waves of an ocean, struggling and gasping for air. Something was reaching out to her.

"Your magic, however," she let her hand fall from the plant as she felt an ache growing in her heart, "can be weakened or enhanced by the strength of the user."

"And your power?" Allanon had a sense that he already knew how this story ended. His eyes drifted from her face, following her eyesight on the plant. He should know what she is. The signs were there. Why was it alluding him? ...or perhaps she was causing it? Was she trying to hide herself from him?

"My abilities have no distinction like in the ways your magic works. You must understand that, in reality, I have no power at all. The energy, what you refer to as power, is not a part of me. Rather, I am a part of **it** ; an extension of it." Her words were not what he expected and he found himself moving closer to her, drawn to something about her. What she said was both wise and strange.

What she did next appeared so natural for her that it took him by surprise. She raised both hands and cupped them around the fern gently as though it were an egg; fragile and delicate. With a serene smile on her face as though she had come to some great realization, features dreamily staring at the plant, a small moss green glow emitted from her palms.

He could feel the energy radiating from her. From **her** , not her hands where his eyes could see it. The actual energy came from within her, coursing through her veins and releasing itself through the outlet of her choice. It was peculiar and different from his own abilities. She had not spoken any invocation, had not done any hand gestures or anything he could see or sense to elicit her power to appear. It just had as though it had a mind of its own. As though... as though they were connected symbiotically.

"My ability... I can channel energy in its pure form rather than warp it for my own benefit through spells and invocations." The fern between her hands, once wilted and browned along the edges, suddenly was a deep healthy green. "The energy is what it allows me to use it as. Such as how I healed you without talisman or chant. It simply flows through me as though we are one, a river's flows moving collectively."

"You had a gemstone." Allanon announced, recalling the smooth oval piece of amber she had lain on him.

"That was for _another_ purpose." She was being evasive. She wanted whatever the real purpose was to be elusive. Allanon looked at the fern that had been rejuvenated. He had seen similar shows before in his lifetime. Therefore, it did not surprise him. Not after what he had felt of this power in the cave, not after she had saved him from the brink of death. However, there was something missing. Something that had been drilled into his mind since he was a child; magic always comes at a price. So, what price had she just paid to heal a plant? He could see nothing on the surface, could sense nothing beneath.

"Magic, the variety I was speaking of that is separate from yours and mine, is _perverse_ and wrong." She let her hands fall from each side of the fern and looked Allanon straight on. She seemed to beg him to understand her words through her eyes. " _That_ kind of magic has been warped from its true form; energy. A pure form turned muddled and toxic. It can only bring pain."

She found the conversation engaging and his interest comforting. It had been a long while since she had someone in a similar position as herself. Most found energy and magic a topic not to be spoken of in common, open conversation. It had been a long while since it had been deemed taboo and the Four Lands still found it a foul thing after so long.

Though, as she thought about it further, it was not often you had a Druid and someone like herself in a room together. It was rare at best. Both her people and his were a lost breed. She briefly imagined what else they might be able to speak about; what things might he be more knowledgeable about than herself; what might she be able to offer him in return.

"I hope you understand that I did not mean you or the Druids are warped. I do not think that in the least." She found herself wanting to clarify her words. She was not one for caring so much of how her words bothered others or if they were _improper_ , but something about the man elicited an odd reaction from her. She found herself wanting to be certain she was being careful, that she wasn't giving him the wrong impression.

"I would not blame you if you did. Many in the Four Lands feel that way. Especially now after the war." Allanon clarified and Alessandra smiled, hearing no contempt in his tone.

"They are just... blinded." She began, trying to pull her thoughts together. He was patient, watching her with interest. "They have seen that the Druids found a way long ago to control this corrupted kind of magic and did so without themselves falling prey to its wicked nature. But... there have been many others who were not so lucky and their failure has blinded them."

"You truly feel this way?" He was not mocking her. Simply asking if her feelings were truly her own or had they been swayed. It surprised her nonetheless.

"Don't you, Allanon? Do _you_ feel all magic, all power, is dark and to be feared?" She was quick to retort, a fire burning in her belly suddenly as though she had eaten something acrid. Not only did something about his expression worry her, but something in the air suddenly felt wrong as well. It was similar to when she first arrived in Arborlon. Something left a foul taste in her mouth every time she took a breath and burned her sinuses and her lungs. She shrunk back a little, internally trying to pull away from whatever was making her feel so horribly.

"Dark, no." He spotted something in her eyes change. She blinked more frequently. She swallowed harder. Her breaths were deeper, releases shorter as though something had hold of her lungs. She shrunk away from him. "But I do believe all magic should be feared. Even yours."

Silence grew and Alessandra was left to decipher the strange feeling within her; melancholy, illness, fear...

"My abilities are not dark. I do not fear them." She tried to ignore the feelings bombarding her senses. She closed her eyes a minute and drew in a deep breath, feeling her lungs burn. She had hoped that perhaps she had found an equal in this man, the last Druid. However, when he said nothing, her face fell. She suddenly felt alone... and in pain. A deep, heart wrenching pain that struck her down. It felt as though something was tearing at her skin from within, trying to scratch its way out.

"Lady," Allanon began, sensing something spread over her like a veil, shrouding her as clouds might the sun's rays. Her brightness diminished as the warm suddenly felt drained away. She ignored his interjection completely as though lost to whatever it was bothering her.

"What most, common people don't understand about magic, Druid, about **all** magic, whether yours, mine, or that toxic version others use... whether good or bad... it comes at a price. Sometimes a very steep price." She continued on, the pain spreading through her like wildfire. It curled over her skin, sent a shockwave through her mind. The sunlight struck her face as she shook her head, golden mane swaying over her back and tickling her skin beneath her shirt.

"Sometimes that price is acceptable, fair even, but other times... other times it is far greater than one could have foreseen and you can never take it back." Her voice was feeling restrained in her throat as though she had been screaming. She needed to flee. Something here was wrong. Very wrong. "You cannot change it, you cannot choose what to give up... and sometimes it seems you gain less than you lose. It makes a hole in your heart, a hole in your life that you just cannot repair."

"My lady." Allanon tried again, feeling the air around them grow dark and thick like a fog sucking all the oxygen out of the room. She was in despair. He could see it. Something had latched onto her and was draining her. He could sense her power, the energy she spoke of, being sucked away. His eyes darted to the potted plant and an idea sparked in his mind.

 _When she had touched it, had it manifested something to drain her? ...was it the Ellcrys? –_ He pondered quickly, interested in whether his assumptions were correct. After everything that had gone wrong already, he did not doubt it.

"I have a name that you, yourself, asked for." Her tone was low, hurt in a way he felt he understood. He recognized the feeling that hung in the air, the look on her face. Something else plagued her mind, her body. Her reaction and exasperation was not geared towards him.

"You do not appear to be well. Something ails you." Allanon spoke, but she appeared not to hear him. She could, however, hear the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears, feel blood rushing through her, body and mind going weak. Allanon took a step closer with a hand out for her to take it seemed. "Allow me to–"

"No, no. I believe I am just exhausted and famished. It has been a taxing day. Healing wounds such as yours zaps my strength. Add worry for my charge and you have a recipe for utter disaster." She responded in a calmer voice, trying to regain her self-composure. This was more than all that though. It was not her empty stomach, tiredness, or exhaustion. It was something else. She found she did not want him to know, to see, to sense that something else was wrong with her. She forced a smile onto her lips. She needed to be stronger than this.

"Perhaps the next time we meet you will use the name you so demanded from me, Druid." She breathed out and swallowed hard. She knew her words sounded curt and surly. She had not meant it that way.

"Indeed, the next time I shall." Allanon agreed, giving her the escape she so desperately seemed to need. She was trying to hold herself together before him. Trying not to let him realize something was ailing her. She was proud. Perhaps too proud.

"Please, excuse me." She spoke quickly and in an instant, she was heading for the door like a rabbit fleeing from a wolf.

"You are right about the price of magic." Allanon did not know what compelled him, but he spoke out again with a fiery breath. She froze for only a moment in her tracks. Something about the way he said it had struck her like a hot rod through butter.

"It is never fair and it is never equal in our minds, but there is always a price to pay for power. Good or bad." He felt a pain stretching across his chest. Something was affecting him as well. Something attempted to tug on his magic, his energy, trying to draw it away.

 _Was it her?_ – He questioned and focused a moment to try to pinpoint what was happening. – _No. It's something else entirely_.

"It is a balance," he continued as he pushed the force away. He took a few, calculated steps closer to her, eyes never leaving hers, "a line which you and I tread very carefully because we understand what the costs could be. Only we alone understand."

"That we do, Druid." Her voice was low, breathy as though it was using all the air in her lungs. Allanon stood straight again, hands coming to rest before him; one on top of the other.

"I hope we cross paths again, Alessandra." Allanon's words were final, suggesting in a gentle way that promised her they might. She realized there was more meaning behind his words than a promise. There was empathy.

 _Only we alone understand._

 _We are the same. –_ She concluded, seeing the same knowing in his eyes. They both understood one another because they were the only two people in the world who could. Two of a kind; ying and yang.

"I suspect we shall." She promised, melting from her frozen state at the start of a searing pain in her mind again. She raised a hand to her forehead, pushing against her brow.

"Will you be alright?" Allanon could see her desperation, the need to be alone. Beads of sweat trimmed her brow and glistened in the setting light of the sun.

"I think I will retire for the night, seeing as the sun is going down anyway." She attempted a smile, knowing it didn't reach her eyes, and then disappeared out the door. She hurried down the hall, not realizing that the Druid had followed her out of the Throne Room. He watched as she rushed away from something unseen yet so formidable.


	4. Chapter 4

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~Arborlon Palace~

~Afternoon~

Alessandra's night had been quite unrestful. She had found Bjorn and Aria in the dining hall, eating their dinners and had foregone eating herself. The smells, the sights, the sounds, it made her so incredibly sick she feared emptying her stomach right there. So instead, she had found her way to her temporary quarters and had gotten herself into bed, only to find that sleep eluded her.

She had tossed and turned for hours, body aching. She had fended off fever and chills, mind playing tricks on her. She eventually found herself sick, dry heaving into a potted plant near her bed. Unintelligible whispers, low and hurried had plagued her mind and conjured up images of battles and brimstone. She had heard screaming, smelled fire, tasted blood. Throughout the entire night, she had felt the same pull on her as when she had first arrived to Arborlon. Something was indeed draining her. It was leeching off her like a parasite. She could not figure out what it was or why it had sought her out.

"Amita!" A high-pitched, airy voice called from the door with a small series of knocks to follow. Alessandra stirred in her mangled heap of bedsheets, half delirious to the world around her. Bright, radiant rays of sunlight poured into the room from the small balcony behind her bed and caught part of her back and an expose leg that dangled out.

"Amita, are you awake?" Aria's voice came again, louder this time with more aggressive knocking. "Patruus, is she awake?"

Alessandra tried to find the strength to respond, but found herself immobile and mute. She turned over in the bed, back firmly against the mattress and the left side of her face exposed to the sunlight. Her body ached. Her throat was raw. Her head seared with pulsating pain. Her eyes were puffy and sore.

"Aria, move from the door a moment... Alessandra?" Bjorn called from behind the door, knocking firmly. Alessandra stirred again and tried to open her eyes, instantly regretting it for the sunlight struck them. Her hair, pulled loose from its tail because of the tossing, was splayed over the pillows in masses of golden tendrils. She opened one eye again tentatively and peered at the locked door, partly wishing they would leave her be.

 _Just let me rest_... – she grumbled internally and closed her eyes again, feeling exhaustion overcoming her.

"Alessandra!" Bjorn's voice came sterner from behind the door as he rapped again on the wood. Alessandra startled from her sleep, eyes snapping open. "Alessandra! I believe you have slept enough. It's already deep into the afternoon."

Bjorn's voice fell away as he listened behind the wooden door.

 _It's the afternoon?_ – She questioned, trying to rally enough strength to move. She turned her head and looked out the balcony, seeing the sun high in the sky.

"Aless?" Her brother beckoned her, tone strange. Shuffling... and then gentle knocking rapped again. "You didn't eat dinner last night and Aria says you had not eaten anything the day you arrived in Arborlon either. We are heading to get lunch. Please join us."

"Come on, Amita!" Aria's small voice begged her aunt to move from her bed.

Alessandra decided that, no matter how she felt, she needed to eat something; she needed to start her day. She thought about her brother's words, about what her niece had told him. She could not remember when she had eaten the day before either. Had she eaten breakfast? Lunch? No, she had found the Druid before she had the chance. Then she had discovered Aria's disappearance and had forgotten all about her needs.

"Let me dress." She called back to them as she finally felt pains of hunger in her stomach; pins and needles. She pulled herself free from the bed and combed through her hair with the shell-comb she carried in her satchel. Her movements were sluggish, head and legs unsteady. She dressed into her pants from the previous day; a faded, deep gold color that hugged her athletic legs down to her ankles. She then pulled a clean shirt from the satchel, having already prepared for a two-day journey with Aria through the forest. The clean shirt was an opaque white with gold floral designed embroideries around the base and at the sweetheart neckline. It had billowing sleeves and was somewhat more revealing than she would have liked for the resent situation, but it was comfortable. Next, she took the corset and affixed it around her middle, tying it tight enough to stay, but loose enough so she could breathe easily. She looked herself over in the oval mirror on the wall by the water basin and fixed her shirt so that her ample breasts were modestly hidden the best they could be.

She fixed her hair into a neat French braid, using her fingers to smooth the flyways. She went to the water basin and splashed her face, rubbing her hands over her skin gently to wake her senses up. She looked at herself in the oval mirror, seeing dark circles beneath her eyes and sighed heavily. She moved to the door, tying her sandals onto her feet.

"Amita! Come on!" Aria's voice rang through the door and Alessandra was quick to open, making the small girl jump back. Alessandra stepped out into the hall and closed her door, looking between the two before her.

"Yes, Aria. I'm here. Let's go eat." Alessandra found the energy to greet her with a small smile and extended her hand for the girl to take. Aria took it and then reached out for Bjorn's, walking between the two adults. Aria was a jitterbug, tugging on their arms and bouncing up and down. Alessandra, even though she restrained herself from snapping at the young girl, could not help but feel her actions tiresome. Having a motherly affection towards her niece, she could not find the will to scold her and instead thought of an idea.

"Bjorn." Alessandra looked to her brother and nodded her head down at their niece, giving a small smirk. He understood and Alessandra mouthed out a count to three. At three, they tugged Aria's arms up, lifting her feet off the ground and swung her forward. She gave a small squeal and then laughed when her feet hit the ground again. They did this several more times, as they headed down the hallway. Each time Aria squealed and let out a series of giggles, tiny feet wiggling in the air.

Bjorn laughed and looked to his sister, noticing her odd disheveled appearance and the tired look to her normally vibrant eyes. He could see dark circles beginning to form beneath her eyes, how her movements were sluggish in nature. She swallowed hard as though something was caught in her throat.

"Are you ill?" Bjorn's voice was soft as he and Alessandra lifted their niece up again. Alessandra did not meet his gaze and shook her head to answer him. Perhaps she was, but that description felt all wrong. Bjorn narrowed his gaze as his voice became serious. " _Aless.._."

"I'll be fine, Bjorn." She met his stare, smile on her face but a look of annoyance behind it. He could sense that she wanted him to drop the subject, but he found he couldn't

"You don't look fine." Bjorn retorted, feeling Aria tugging on his arm in a signal to be lifted up again. The two adults lifted her up on the next step.

"Sleep did not come easy to me." Alessandra admitted, feeling the weight of his gaze force her to cede.

"You slept till the afternoon." Bjorn's words were a mere fact, not something meant to question her nor regard her with disbelief. "What kept you awake?"

"I felt ill." Alessandra replied simply, stern look in her eyes that halted him in his questioning.

"You have mastered mother's evil eye. Do you know that?" Bjorn commented, the look on her face both a terrifying resemblance and funny likeness. Alessandra was about to say something clever to him, but she suddenly felt a sharp pain course through her. She closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth. She gripped Aria's hand tightly as though she were about to topple over and the girl's hand was her only lifeline.

"Amita!" Aria cried out as she had jumped and now found she was heading for a collision with the ground. Bjorn spun forward, fell to a knee and caught Aria. He grabbed hold of Alessandra's hand that gripped the girl's, looking up at her with worry. Alessandra released her hold and slapped her hand to her chest with a sudden loss of breath. It was as though something had sucked all the air right out of her lungs, leaving them burning and raw.

"Patruus?" Aria looked to her uncle, whose hands held her at the waist. Bjorn said nothing in reply and continued to examine his sister. She said nothing; just stared wide-eyed at the floor as though she was about to be sick. One hand rested on her chest while the other wrapped round her belly, holding it.

"Aless? Are you alright?" Bjorn questioned, sensing something was more wrong with her than he had believed. Alessandra began walking away from them, hand pressed firmly to her chest. She wavered as she came to a corner, bumping into it as she went around. Something called to her.

"Amita?" Aria called after her as her uncle picked her up and jogged after his sister, watching her as she power walked her way down the hall. It was though a rope had been tied round her and now a force drew her in, leading her along like a puppet on a string.

"Alessandra! Aless wait!" Bjorn called to her, trying to jog lightly to keep up with her powerful, meaningful strides. He dodged those in the hall that they passed, keeping Aria tightly in his arms. "Alessandra! Stop!"

She could not hear him. Not with the sound of the unintelligible whispers in her head. It sounded like multiple voices at once, all vying for a chance to get her attention. The pain coursing through her blood, the feeling of illness in her bones, sadness gripping her heart was almost too much to bear. She found herself wanting to run herself off a balcony and feel sweet relief of an endless sleep.

She abruptly collided with someone in the hallway. Her arms came up to lessen the blow, becoming pinned by the solid mass between them and herself. A strong pair of arms held her steady; one hand wrapped around her back and held her left shoulder while the other rested on her lower back. She felt pins and needles in her legs, making her wobble on her feet. She was grateful for the stranger catching her. Something else spread through her; a warmth; relief. She felt relief for the first time since stepping into the God-awful city.

"Alessandra, what has happened?" It was a deep, rough voice. It reminded her of waves crashing on rock during a warm summer day.

 _Allanon_ – She thought the name and felt her vision reeling. He had a tight hold of her, feeling her slip downwards as though overcome by some great weight. His instincts took over and he tried to take on some of her weight, holding her upright. She looked up at him, blue orbs weary and alarmed. His eyes scanned over her methodically; warm, chocolate eyes that brought her comfort. They narrowed as he sensed something dismal.

"Something has you." His words sent a spark of fright through her. He could sense something was deeply wrong with her, feel something draining her, stealing her away. It was the same thing as the day before in the Throne Room. He had hoped a goodnight's rest would have ceased it, had wanted to shrug aside his belief that it was more for the moment. However, as he watched her, he could see in her eyes that the feelings of illness, sadness, pain, within her rose more. It beckoned her to follow some invisible force.

"I must go." Her voice was gruff, so unlike her own as though something else was using it as a conduit. She abruptly pushed away from him and the sense of relief vanished, allowing the relenting illness and sadness wash over her. She rounded him gracefully, footfalls barely making a noise, and continued down the hall. Allanon spun on his heels and watched her, taking careful note of how unsteady she was.

"Alessandra, wait!" Allanon's deep voice ripped through the hall like thunder in the sky. Bjorn with Aria in his arms blew passed Allanon in the hunt for his sister. Alessandra continued in her haste and went out a side door into a courtyard, into the bright sunshine of the afternoon. She took the deepest breath she could as though she had been holding it beneath crashing waves that threatened to drown her. She released and took another breath, filling her lungs, cleansing her blood.

"Amita!" Aria's voice rang out, but Alessandra could hardly hear her. She was concentrating on what was pulling on her. It was there close by. A haze hung over her mind, speaking to her in soft whispers.

"Aria, wait." Bjorn watched his sister as she huffed and gasped as though something had hold of her throat, her heart. She crouched, knees bent and balancing on the balls of her feet as she closed her eyes tightly. A hand returned to her chest, fingers beneath the fabric as she felt her heat hammering.

"What is wrong with her, Patruus? Is she sick?" Aria asked innocently and Bjorn pulled her closer, hugging her head to his shoulder to keep her from seeing. She squirmed, getting his attention and then called out, "Allanon!"

Bjorn turned swiftly to his left to see the Druid approaching. His footfalls were heavy, fast paced as though he had a mission to complete. He stopped beside the two, watching Alessandra in her crumpled state. His stare was blank, unreadable, but his clenched hands told another story.

"What's happened to her?" Bjorn growled out, eyes glaring daggers at the Druid. Allanon met his gaze briefly and then shook his head, looking back to the young woman on the ground.

"Something is draining her energy. I felt it yesterday when I met with her." Allanon announced quietly. His gaze befell the young girl in Bjorn's arms, seeing her big green eyes wide in fear. He had not meant to scare the girl.

"Draining her...?" Bjorn turned back to his sister. He felt panic searing up within him. After everything that had been happening at the Palace. He turned back to Allanon with a thought. "Is it the Changeling?"

"I don't believe so. The Changeling does not have power like this." Allanon replied as he spotted tears rushing down Alessandra's face, cheeks red and eyes wide open in what looked like alarm. She sucked in breath after breath, trying to calm herself, trying to fight off the parasite that was not really a parasite at all. Something screamed in her mind, but she could not make out the words. She entangled a hand into her hair, tugging on it.

 _What had happened between her and the Druid to bring this on? –_ Bjorn thought to himself as he rubbed a hand mindlessly over Aria's back. Her shoulder length sandy blonde hair tickled his hand.

"What's wrong with Amita?" Aria's voice cracked as though she might begin to cry. Bjorn place a hand firmly to her head, locking her gaze over his shoulder.

"You're Amita is not well, rabbit." He explained, using the nickname he had given to his niece as he stood watching, guarding over his her and his sister faithfully.

"Patruus?" Aria rested her cheek against his shoulder, small hands playing with the fabric of his stiff uniform. He tilted his chin downwards and kissed her temple, breathing into her hair. "Patruus, Amita's sick?"

"Rabbit, I don't..." Bjorn tried his best to form a reply, an honest reply, becoming worried about his sister. She fell from her crouch to her knees, hands planted firmly in the grass.

"Yes, your aunt is sick, girl." Allanon answered for Bjorn, eyes trailing away from Aria in his arms to the emissary. The two men met each other's stare, neither quaking under the other's gaze. Allanon looked away first, feeling Alessandra's distress.

"Will she be alright?" Aria's voice grew small as tears prickled her eyes. "Will you heal her like she healed you?"

 _She healed him? –_ Bjorn questioned and looked back at the Druid once more, eyebrows knitted together fiercely.

"Both of you, stay here." Allanon ordered, ignoring Aria's question and Bjorn's confused stare. He walked away from them, moving closer to Alessandra carefully. He was slow in his movements, testing how close he would be allowed to approach. He crouched before her, fingers laced together, elbows resting on his knees.

"What ails you?" His voice was demanding of a response, but also gentle and calm. He observed her again, seeing nothing on the surface. Alessandra could not meet his eyes. She stared down at her hands in the grass, clenching and releasing in a manner to relieve her stress. "I cannot help if you do not speak to me."

"I don't know what's wrong." She breathed out in a low breath. She wanted to answer him, explain how she felt, what was happening, but it was too much.

"Aria, stay." Bjorn's voice was stern, defiant as he watched the Druid question his sister.

"Why do I always have to stay behind?" Aria huffed as Bjorn set her down on the ground and briskly jogged over to Alessandra, hand holding the hilt of his sword to control its jostling. He bent a knee at her side and placed a hand on her left shoulder.

Allanon noticed how Bjorn nearly shouldered him out of the way of his sister. His hand sitting protectively on her shoulder. Bjorn met the Druid's gaze, feeling his eyes on him and saw the stern stare. He swung back to his sister and looked her over, not seeing anything physically wrong on the surface.

"What is it?" Bjorn asked as he looked over her again in search of some sign. He took his left hand and cupped her right cheek, forcing her to face him as one might do to a child. He could see veins bulging in her forehead, see red in her eyes from ruptured blood vessels. "Aless, tell us what's wrong."

Alessandra shook her head and closed her eyes tightly, leaning into her brother's touch. Bjorn took his hand on her shoulder and wrapped it around her, pulling her into his side. He turned to Allanon, who watched Alessandra with hands clasped before him and a deep, thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Something is using her to drain energy. Draining her strength in the process." His words were finite as he narrowed his gaze at her. Her breath was heavy as though having run a long distance. She raised her chin and looked into his eyes, her cheek against Bjorn's shoulder. Stray hairs fell into her flushed face, eyes feeling heavy as though she might be able to sleep finally.

"Do not fall asleep." Allanon's tone was strict, demanding of her attention like the clashing of two sword. It also held wisdom; old, methodical wisdom.

"Why not? Maybe that's all she needs." Bjorn argued on her behalf, though he doubted it himself. She wanted to chide them both, ask to be left alone, fall asleep for a hundred years.

"Because if she sleeps now, while whatever it is that drains her has not been stopped, she may never wake up again." A fire burned in Allanon's words, in his eyes. He reached out and grabbed hold of Alessandra's upper arms, making her kneel up to regain her composure. "Now, tell me what you feel."

"I feel... a deep illness; far-reaching fear." She admitted, feeling the weight of his gaze on her. His hands on her arms felt as though they were pushing energy into her. As though he were allowing her to feed off his strength so as to regain some of her own. She raised a hand and placed it on his forearm gently. "Heart wrenching sadness. Something is trying to get me to notice it."

"What do you mean something is trying to get you to notice it?" Bjorn was confused and bothered that it seemed as though Alessandra and the Druid were in some kind of silent agreement with each other that excluded him. They understood one another on some kind of level that he could not fathom.

"Using me to drain energy...?" Alessandra's words were small as though she didn't believe them herself. "What are you talking about?"

"You told me that you channel energy. Pure energy." Allanon's voice was deductive and it forced Alessandra to pay close attention through her misery.

"Yes, I channel it." She admitted as her hand that still lingered in the grass, scrunched and released.

"You draw from it like a flower draws in the sun." Allanon continued and she instantly realized what he meant. She looked at his arms on her in a flash of frenzy and worry.

"And I am draining you right now." She tried to tug his hands away, but he held her in a vice like grip. Her frantic blue eyes met his again. "Let go, it will only affect you as well."

"So let it. It will give us enough time to figure out what is happening to you." Allanon's voice was gentle, tender almost as he met her gaze. Her worried blue orbs were met with comforting, earthly brown. Eyes that she felt she **should** trust; that she _could_ trust.

"Your ability is like a door: open for energy to cross through both ways." Allanon did not look away from her. He held her steady, eyes locked and trying to rattle her out of her fog enough to comprehend.

"If I can draw from the energy," Alessandra began to understand, "then something else can use me the same way, reversing the process."

"So, something is using you like a conduit?" Bjorn finally understood, but did not quite believe it. Alessandra looked to her brother, seeing his worried expression.

"I believe so." Allanon concluded.

"Do you know **what** is it?" Bjorn questioned further, but the Druid shook his head. Bjorn looked to his sister and she too shook her head. "When did this start? When I left you alone with _him_?"

"No Bjorn. Allanon did not do this." She retorted and let her chin fall again as she closed her eyes. She licked her bottom lip, feeling it cracked. "It is something else. Something stronger. It started when I stepped foot in Arborlon."

Bjorn looked up at Allanon, trepidatious and skittish suddenly. He moved in closer to his sister, taking her left cheek in his hand and forcing her to look at him. She knew what he was going to ask her.

"Can you sense it?" He asked gently, quietly and Allanon almost did not hear him. Alessandra released her clenched hands in the grass, feeling her fingers dig into the soil. Bjorn looked down at her hands and then met her gaze again. "Do you know _where_ it is?"

A sensation struck her like a bolt of lightning; a realization. She did know where it was. She could sense it. She could almost see a path in the earth like a pulsating electrical charge leading from her to it.

"There." She raised a dirtied finger and pointed in the direction behind her brother and Allanon. Bjorn stared at her confused a moment and then looked over his shoulder. He shook his head slowly and then halted. Alessandra lowered her hand and refused to meet Allanon's gaze that threatened to burn a hole through her. She looked to Bjorn. "What is that thing?"

Bjorn said nothing at first. He only stared over his shoulder at the array of trees beneath the Palace. The one she pointed to, the entity she claimed was calling to her was the largest tree that sat in the middle of them all. Perfectly formed with a silver-white trunk arched skyward in a symmetrically balanced network of tapered limbs clustered with broad, five-cornered leaves that were blood red in color.

Bjorn closed his eyes and hung his head. His hand fell from her cheek and came to rest on the bridge of his nose, pinching. He scoffed, thrust his hand away and cursed under his breath.

"Of course, it would call to you of all people in this bloody world." His voice was a sigh of renunciation and irritation. He lifted his gaze again, staring at the great tree and shook his head. "That, dear sister, is the Ellcrys."

"The Ellcrys?" She questioned more scornfully then she had intended. Her eyes lingered on the tree behind Bjorn for a long moment. She had never heard the name of the great tree before, but it seemed to fit. She looked between her brother and Allanon. "What is it?"

"It is a sapient tree that was created by the bonding of earth and life." Allanon explained carefully as his hold on her loosened. "She is the linchpin of the barrier that keeps the Daemons that once overran the Four Lands trapped in an alternate world known as the Forbidding."

" _She_?" Alessandra's stare befell him instantly at the odd gender usage. Her eyebrows knitted together. "You refer to the tree as 'she'?"

Allanon nodded once and Alessandra felt that this was correct. The unintelligible voice whispering in her head suddenly did sound feminine.

"I must go there." She announced and tried to stand. Allanon helped her to her feet, hands on her arms, and then released her. "It beckons me."

"No shit, you think?" Bjorn scoffs standing up straight with a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Will you watch Aria?" Alessandra asked gently as she fixed herself the best she could. She felt stronger thanks to Allanon, but she knew it would not last long. Bjorn shakes his head of strawberry blonde hair, some of it falling into his face and sighs.

"I will escort you there." Allanon declared, finding the siblings wearing on his nerves. Bjorn rounded on him so fast that Allanon swore he saw sparks fly. Actually, he sensed it the way he had when Alessandra had rejuvenated the fern in the Throne Room.

 _So, he has power as well. –_ Allanon thought as he met the young emissary's glare. The trio was strange, peculiar. He felt something different from each of them. Even the young girl; Aria. She too had a kind of energy surrounding her that Allanon could not give a name to.

"My sister is weary. She needs rest first before seeing the Ellcrys." Bjorn argued, seeing Alessandra trying her best to compose herself. She rubbed a hand over the side of her face and let it fall to her chest, resting there.

"The Ellcrys will not allow her rest, _boy_. Not until it speaks with her." The Druid felt his own indignation creep up within him at the insolence the emissary displayed. He should know better. He announced this, "You should know better working at the Palace."

"Bjorn," Alessandra moved to his side and paced a hand on his arm tenderly, "Allanon is right. I will not be able to rest properly until I know what she wants with me. She will not allow it. I can sense it in my bones."

"Allow it?" Bjorn looked to her in sheer disbelief. He loved her, but sometimes... sometimes he questioned her sanity.

"I know you and your abilities, but a tree draining you, wanting converse with you?" His tone was full of admonishment. "Aless this is madness."

"I cannot explain it." She tried to think of how she could put the feelings to words. There was no way. Either he understood or he didn't.

"No, don't bother." Bjorn shook his head, words souring as she saw his gaze darken. "I can never understand."

"That is not what–"

"I'm not mad with you, Aless." Bjorn's tone became regretful as he looked to her. Sometimes his temper got the better of him. "It's just... It's hard being your brother sometimes. Every time I think I may know or understand you and your abilities, I'm smacked in the face with reality. We are different."

"At least you understand that much." Alessandra gave a small laugh and Bjorn shook his head. "I wish we had been given the same. It would have made things easier between us."

 _The same what? –_ Allanon found himself wondering, watching the siblings closely. They were becoming more curious by the second. What were they?

"Come here." Bjorn pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, feeling heat radiating from her. He murmured into her hair, "You have a fever and I can sense you haven't been drinking enough water. Your blood is thin. When you are finished, I will take you to the springs."

"Thank you, _father_." Alessandra teased him, laughing and wrapping her arms around his middle. She hugged him tightly.

"Someone needs to watch over you. Especially with no Keeper." Something about Bjorn's words struck Allanon with a heavy recognition. Their haunting beauty, their keen senses, their abilities, no Keeper... the wise look behind such young appearing eyes.

"You're Elementals." His voice was low as though he almost did not believe it. Alessandra froze in her brother's arms as Bjorn met Allanon's stare with serene conviction.

"No. I am an Elemental." Bjorn corrected him and pulled back from Alessandra, holding her at arm's length. "She is something far greater."

"Greater?" Allanon's gaze befell her; heavy and persecuting. "I should have realized."

He knew instantly what the markings on her hands and feet were, the way she spoke about energy, why she could heal. He had read about beings like her before, was instructed by his mentor Bremen. They were all gone though, lost to myth and legend.

"I _was_ an Elemental. A Pygmy actually. A child of Terra." She relinquished slowly. She had needed to keep it a secret for such a long time. Admitting it aloud was a struggle, a fear realized. She turned to face him fully. "I am a Guardian."

"One without a Keeper." Bjorn announced again, a fire in his eyes. Allanon could sense this was a touchy subject between them.

"Yes, a Guardian with no Keeper." Alessandra nearly snarled at him, begging him silently to shut his mouth.

"A Guardian." Allanon's words left him in a soft breath, a whisper. Instantly, all of his education and reading about these people came back to him. "We were taught that your kind had been extinct for hundreds of years. That the last of the Elementals were destroyed by Hell fire during the Great Wars."

"That's what we wanted you all to think, Druid." Bjorn took a step forward, matching Allanon in height and stature. He looked back at his sister, eyes softening. "But, we are alive. The three of us alone exist."

"Your village," Allanon began, remembering her words in the Throne Room, "you said your people–"

"Yes, our people. They are our people, those who descend from the elemental lines, but we three are the last who have gifts in a long line of a dying breed." Alessandra cut him off, wishing to leave this place and be done with the conversation. She could feel the pull of the large crimson tree on her strength again. It needed her in the most horrible way. "There may be others, but we three are all we know about. Now, I **must** go. The Ellcrys beckons me again."

"I will take Aria and get her lunch. When you are finished, come back, eat yourself, and then get some rest." Bjorn ordered her gently. She nodded at him and then watched as he headed back to Aria, who kicked at the dirt in new footwear.

"Aria, quit kicking the dirt." Alessandra acknowledge the girl, who looked up with a suddenly bright face.

"Amita, you're okay! Look at my sandals!" Aria lifted one foot, trying to show her aunt her new footwear, which was now dirty. Bjorn walked closer and shook his head at the girl, internally rolling his eyes.

"Yes, Amita, look how dirty your niece's brand new sandals have become." Bjorn grabbed hold of her swiftly, carrying her bridal style in his arms. He looked back at his sister. "And in only a matter of hours, nonetheless. A new record, I think."

"It's not my fault." Aria argued, squirming in her uncle's arms.

"Whose fault is it then, rabbit?" Bjorn laughed and Alessandra closed her eyes, finding everything to become too much at once. "Let's go get some food in your belly before that hangry monster takes over."

"I'm not hangry! I don't want to go with you. You're mean." Aria yelled at him, making him laugh harder. "Amita, I want to go with you!"

"Oh dear lord..." Alessandra breathed out with a hint of fire in her voice. "Aria, do as your uncle says and go with him."

They began heading back to the Palace, Aria in Bjorn's arms. Alessandra heard Aria yell at her uncle and Alessandra felt the desire to smack a hand to her forehead.

"Bjorn, quit antagonizing her! Both of you behave!" Alessandra called after them and then looked to Allanon regretfully as well as slightly embarrassed. "I cannot imagine what you must think of us."

She gave a short, snort through her nose and then shook her head again. What a mess they were indeed.

"It does not matter what I think." Allanon announced, noticing the huff of a snort Alessandra gave in return. He felt himself relinquish his thoughts aloud. "I think you are a family. One that obviously enjoys each other's company."

"I didn't realize Druids had a sense of humor." She deadpanned, sensing he was actually attempting to lightheartedly joke with her. Just as she was about to say something more, she felt an agonizing, heart wrenching pain in her chest again. This time it nearly made her crumple to her knees. Allanon caught her before she fell, one of her hands on her chest while the other had caught herself against his.

"You **must** head to the Sanctuary. Now." Allanon told her, seeing the pain that washed over her. He could feel it radiate from her.

"Will you still escort me there?" She questioned, unsure of how the reveal and her family's actions had changed his view of them and herself.

"Yes." His tone was unreadable, but he led her towards the woods and the path to the Sanctuary faithfully.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to everyone who has begun to follow this story and special thank to swingrlm for the reviews. I apologize for the story not moving any quicker along the storyline of the show!

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~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~The Sanctuary~

Allanon had led her through the woods leading up to the Sanctuary where the Ellcrys resided. Their journey had been in silence for the most part. Birds sang and creatures scurried away as they made their way along. Alessandra was grateful for not having to answer any more questions. She was allowed her silence, her introspection, a moment of peace.

She quickly found that as she neared the Sanctuary, the pain and the fear lessened. Almost as though the great tree had gotten exactly what it had wanted and needed, releasing her from its grasp.

She had also taken time to watch Allanon as he stalked ahead of her. His leather robes, she now realized, were a deep wine color that normally looked brown without the sun's deceiving light. His armor, also leather, was inscribed with Druid writing and peeked out from beneath the collar of his robe. His footfalls, clad in heavy boots, seemed to rumble with each passing step. It was as though the sound resonated with a burden that appeared to be placed on his shoulders.

Alessandra was younger than him. Not by as much as he believed, but at least a few decades she guessed. Despite this, she was old enough to understand certain things about the world and the way it worked, much like him. She was also old enough to understand that if a Druid, the last Druid, had appeared after decades of disappearance, then something was very wrong in the world. The **way** they had met was unlikely under normal circumstances. The fact that they had met _at all_ was even more remarkable as both of them came from a dying breed. Everything about them, the way they met, and where they found themselves thrown together now, spoke volumes of the dire situation.

Druids and Elementals did not run in the same circles despite being so similar to one another. Yes, they both used a form of magic, studied the arts, had a tightknit group that kept to themselves. However, where the Druids were secretive and demanding, the Elementals were inviting and accepting. The Druid sought seclusion in their caves and at Paranor, but the Elementals had once had villages around the Four Lands that welcomed foreigners.

They were two sides of the same coin; never meeting, but always knowing the other was there.

"What exactly is happening?" Alessandra found herself curious and could not stop the words from leaving her lips. Allanon said nothing at first, but she knew he had heard her. So, she tried again. "Allanon, you are the last Druid."

"And you are the last Guardian apparently." His words were not unkind only confirming. However, his tone expressed that he did not wish to speak and yet she was not about to let it go.

"Precisely. That doesn't strike you as strange?" Her words perked up as her mind began to race away from her. Allanon looked back at her quickly, eyes conveying his interest and curiosity. "Think about it, Druid."

"I'm listening." Allanon replied as he continued to walk ahead, Alessandra following close at his heels.

"We are the last of our kinds, two breeds who preferred to keep away from the other for as far back as either of us can remember." Alessandra continued on, eyes cast downwards at her feet in an effort not to trip as she walked and talked. "Yet here **we** are... _together_... and on a journey to a sapient elvish tree that you claim is dying and whose death you say shall bring about a terrible evil from another dimension so called the Forbidding."

"I have had enough of riddles for one life time. Speak your mind." Allanon ordered, turning quickly to face her, though she did not see his irritation reach his eyes. Instead, she saw a spark of recognition as though he had been thinking upon similar things during their trek.

"It's odd is all. Don't you think so?" Alessandra began again, her eyes squinting almost as her face twisted into worried confusion. Alessandra halted her steps and watched him continue a few paces before he realized he walked alone. He turned back to look at her, half of his body towards her.

"An Elemental, a Pygmy, just _happened_ upon the last Druid while he lay dying in a hidden Druid cave." Alessandra's voice grew softer as the gears in her mind turned and grinded. "And this Elemental just _happened_ to be the last Guardian and the only healer with the ability to save this Druid from certain death."

Allanon narrowed his eyes at her, his own thought process beginning to catch up to where she was heading.

"Now, the two are the lasts of their breeds. Breeds that have been around for epochs and, while their kinds don't necessarily dislike one another and yet don't normally seek the company of each other, they just _happen_ to meet again and in a city many miles away." Alessandra shook her head, the whole reasoning seeming unbelievable. "Now these two are traveling to a sapient tree that speaks to both of them because the world is going to apparent shit... because said sapient elven tree is dying."

"How did you know the Ellcrys speaks to me?" His question made her give a small, half sardonic laugh.

"Out of everything, that is what you choose to question?" She retorts, tone disbelieving his words. He said nothing more and simply stared at her as though the answer would be apparent. She took a step closer and looked up at him, blue orbs meeting warm chocolate. "I'm not as much a child as you would believe, _Druid_. I have been around long enough at least to understand the look of a man who has a similar connection with the earth that I am bred from."

Allanon watched her with calm resolve. Something swam in his rich brown eyes as his hands came to rest before him, clasped one over the other. Alessandra only held his gaze as both battled silently with the will of eyes. Neither spoke. Neither looked away. They simply stared the other down, feeling authority over the other and suspicion.

He reminded her very much of someone she used to know. They had been just as strong, just as unyielding, just as intense... just as damn maddening.

"You're very much like the rest of them, you know." Alessandra's lips went taut as she thought about the other she had met in her lifetime. They too had been a Druid. The only other one she had ever known.

"You have met other Druids?" Allanon's voice betrayed him, surprised by this news as she had been right when she stated that their kinds never sought out the other for any purpose.

"I have. Only one other. Many, _many_ years ago." Alessandra found her thoughts trailing away to the memory forever burned in the deep recess of her mind. "A Druid who was... strong in will and physical strength. Silent, hardened from years of brutal, soul scarring training in the muddled arts that you all do. Yet... she was benevolent and selfless to a fault."

Allanon said nothing. He could clearly see how talking about this other Druid made her feel. It was a difficult remembrance. He only watched her and saw something moving within her eyes. Emotions flashing like shooting stars, too fast to decipher but slow enough to have known they were there.

"You are the same and yet very different from her, Allanon." Alessandra met his gaze, the emotions gone and only resolve left behind. He was different, but so very much the same. She could see kindness within him and tenderness, but it was hidden by how weary he was from years, centuries, of due diligence with Druid work and training. Oh, the training they endured... she knew what it entailed. She had heard of it firsthand. Yet, he was stronger in mind, will and body because of it. Though, Alessandra sensed that he had been trained for something darker than a battle within the Four Lands. Instead, it almost seemed as though he had been prepared for the end of times.

"How old are you, Alessandra?" His question did not surprise her. His gaze told her that he suspected something about her, almost as though he _knew_ the answer already, but wanted to hear it from her.

"Well, that's impolite." Alessandra defended herself jokingly, despite finding how he had delivered it with such a straight face refreshing.

"Yet, you are not offended." Allanon surmised and took a few calculated steps closer to her. He stood a foot away, eyes examining her like an experiment. "Your features speak of youth."

His eyes trailed over her face, taking careful inventory of each of her features; skin, nose, cheeks, chin, lips, eyes.

"Yet, your eyes tell another story." His gaze met hers, locking in another silent battle.

"My eyes have seen more than most." She explained and watched as his lips curled at one corner with pleasure. She suddenly felt a gentle push on her mind as though someone asking to be let in. He was trying to read her mind. She wondered if she should block him or even if she could. He was powerful in this magic after all, much more so than herself. She sensed that when he allowed her to drain some of his energy to replenish her own. But was he powerful enough to break through her own intense training; centuries of it?

She felt him push again and felt a spark of playfulness fill her heart. What a wonderful distraction he was from the Ellcrys that continued to tug on her energy. She had nearly forgotten how awful she felt.

"That is most impolite, Druid." Alessandra's lips curled into her own small smirk as she leaned closer to him, eyes seeming to sparkle with mischief. "The least you could do is offer to buy me a drink first."

Allanon gave a small scoff as though her words were immature or displeasing. However, he found it somewhat charming as well. He admitted to himself that it was interesting to meet someone who _might_ be his equal. Someone who _might_ just understand the way he did about life, about the world, and about what was to come. It had also been a long time since he had been around someone of such spirit and strength. She might be able to keep him out for a while from her mind, but in her current state, he doubted it would last much longer.

"Go ahead, Druid." She breathed out slowly, feeling herself and her energy drain away. "Search for whatever it is you believe I would not tell you outright."

He felt her barrier fall away, allowing him entrance with little effort on his part. She followed him close behind as he meandered through her memories and thoughts. There was darkness, purposeful darkness as though she hid parts of her past away there. He could see shapes, hear whispers, sense things were there, but he avoided those areas. They were painful, sorrowful, pushed deep into her memories so she could heal long ago. Pushed down, but not forgotten.

"I am much older than many things in this world." She announced suddenly, trying to steer him away from the path he was heading in her mind. She stood straighter, matching his gaze carefully and feeling him draw away. "But, so are you, Druid."

"Yes." His reply only made her more curious about him. Her curiosities were halted when the whispers began in her head again, full force and angry almost. Her eyes slowly drifted away and down as she tried to listen to the whispers in her mind, trying to decipher their cryptic messages. She raised a hand to her temple and applied pressure, but the pain seared through her head.

"What is it?" Allanon noticed the way her eyebrows knitted together and her eyes seemed as though her mind was far away. Allanon held his gaze on her with slight concern. She realized that it was not her he was worried for. It was the tree.

 _As it should be._ – She told herself wisely. She did not know why she felt a tinge of jealousy, but understood that it was unreasonable. He was a Druid and she was a Guardian. Their concerns **should** be on the task at hand. Their meeting was one of convenience and necessity for the Ellcrys had obviously had a part in it for its own benefit.

She had always been professional; task oriented, and understood her responsibilities. She didn't understand why it felt as though her responsibilities now were changing before her eyes at the beck and call of a dying tree. Was it because of this sapient tree truly needed her? Or was it trying to alter her path for some reason?

"The tree… what _exactly_ is happening to it?" She met his stare head on and forced herself to close against him, retreating into herself so that a barrier could form between them. There was a growing weight of knowing in the back of her mind. Nothing about how they met was _coincidence._ Something had **forced** them together despite the odds of them ever finding each other on their own. They had been on separate paths. Now... it seemed as though all roads led to the Ellcrys.

"I believe the Ellcrys is dying." His words were simple, but held the weight of the world in them. Whispers sprung up in her head, calling to her and assuring her that this was the truth despite her already having assumed this. She had felt it. Allanon could see she had somehow gained a connection to the great sapient tree despite ever hearing of it or being in its presence. It had called to her and she had answered.

 _It must be her abilities as a Pygmy. –_ He suddenly surmised through careful calculation. Pygmies were earth Elementals. They had a deep connection with the natural world, one that the other Elementals were not privy to. The others were offsets, different leaves upon the same tree, but Pygmies were the tree itself; the roots, the trunk, the branches. It made sense now that Björn could not relate to her feelings, her senses. It made sense why the Ellcrys had reached out to her above another in the way it had. She was the only one it **could** connect with this way; two seeds of the same tree.

"How?" Alessandra questioned, but found the idea somewhat ridiculous. If the tree was so powerful, then what was more powerful than it?

"Dagda Mor." His words sent a bolt of dread through her. Certainly, this was a joke, a horrible one, but a joke nonetheless. The look in his eyes, the weight they carried, told her that it was truth and that her fear was fitting. He turned around again, robes swaying and continued walking on. Alessandra stayed behind a moment, eyes daring left and right as she struggled to think her own thoughts over the cries of the Ellcrys in her head.

"What can **I** possibly do?" Alessandra heard her voice, the sorrowful tone it took and looked back up at Allanon.

"I am hoping you can figure that out once you are brought to the Sanctuary." Allanon stopped again and looked back at her once more. He could see the worry, the growing fear, and the crushing responsibility that was now resting on her shoulders. "The Ellcrys called to you because of what you are; a daughter of the earth; a Pygmy. She too is part of the same earth, attuned to the energies you are able to channel. If anyone in this world can help her, it would be you."

"Druid, I don't..."

 _…know if I can... –_ she had wanted to say, but the words had escaped her. She felt the pressure of his words grip her heart. It was hard to breathe, hard to think. They, the Druid and the Ellcrys, placed on her so much faith and responsibility.

"You are not alone." Allanon had moved even closer to her, standing before her and placed his gloved hands on her shoulder. He crouched slightly, trying to get her to meet his stare. "There are others attempting to save her."

"You don't understand." Alessandra's voice wavered, something dark in them. "She called to **me** , but I'm..."

"What?" Allanon sensed something was wrong. It wasn't the drain on her, it wasn't the worry the Ellcrys forced upon her. It was something else.

"Nothing. I will do my best, Druid." Alessandra was quick to speak and look away from his piercing stare.

* * *

~The Ellcrys~

~Evening~

The tree was more beautiful up close, Alessandra realized upon entering the Sanctuary. The leaves truly were a crimson color, bark whiter than snow, both seeming to glow in the dying light of the setting sun.

Life resided in the Sanctuary, but death hung heavy in the air. She could smell it; blood. She said nothing about it, but she had caught Allanon's gaze as she walked passed him. He stood back by the large stone doors, one hand clamped over the other before him.

Alessandra took her time, nearly an hour, to look around the large room built of stone and vegetation. The tree was not alone in the Sanctuary. Other plants resided here; ferns, flowers, small trees, grass. They **thrived** , but the Ellcrys was waning somehow.

Alessandra slowly stepped forward before the great tree, feeling its massive presence baring down on her like a giant. The feeling of pain, of illness that had invaded her very being had begun to lessen the longer she stood before the tree. It was almost as though they were connected somehow on a deeper level; a cord tethering them together, allowing them to feel each other's emotions and senses.

Allanon stood back, hands clasped before him as he allowed her to move about the space freely. He had needed to chase away a few elves and guards that had been in the Sanctuary so that they could go undisturbed. He understood that she needed to get a feel for the room, for the energies here, for the Ellcrys.

He watched her carefully, eyes slightly narrowed in calm curiosity as she gracefully glided along the stone floor as quiet as a mouse. Her footfalls in her sandals were soft and padded and he wondered if she would make no noise at all if she were barefooted. He guessed she wouldn't.

He wondered silently about what she had worried about right before coming here. It had been nothing of the situation at hand. It was something else. Something she had wanted to tell him, but had decided against it.

He watched as her eyes befell the tree, calculating and calm. She had yet to touch it, but had reached out a hand as though to feel something radiating from it.

"Who cares for it? Or does it need no warden?" She asked, voice echoing softly throughout the room.

"The Chosen did and Went, the groundskeeper." Allanon answered her, watching her disappear behind the Ellcrys. Her split skirt billowed behind her like a specter.

"The Chosen," her voice came again, louder as she tried to ensure he would hear her, "who are they?"

"Elves who were chosen by the Ellcrys to care for and protect her." He saw her golden hair sway to the right of the tree as she reappeared and halted in her steps. She stared at the tree for a long moment and then turned her gaze on him.

"What do you mean _were_?" She asked, having noticed the odd verbiage. It had not been the first time someone tried to cover bad news with careful vocabulary around her.

"The Chosen are dead." Allanon confirmed and Alessandra's eyes closed as though it physically hurt her, but it was not **her** pain. It was the Ellcrys'. It was almost like an overwhelming sadness that threatened to drown her, washing over her in sudden sharp waves.

"I know now why you summoned me." Alessandra spoke softly, almost tenderly as though cooing to a child. Allanon made no comment and it made her understand that he already knew why the Ellcrys called to her. He had said so in the woods, had tried to explain to her that is was merely because she was an Elemental, a daughter of the earth, but there was much more to it; to her.

She felt him prod inside her mind, following her thoughts as they came to her. She understood it was easier than speaking them aloud. He could freely follow her and she would not need to question whether he understood, if there was something he missed. She had allowed him entrance earlier when she needed a distraction, but now it felt too _intimate_ this way. It made her uncomfortable to have another inside her mind, following her so closely, privy to everything in the recesses of her memory.

"Were I merely a Pygmy, a daughter of Terra," she spoke aloud, banishing him from her mind and putting in place a barrier, "If I were not a Guardian and not as trained as I am, I would not be able to withstand it all."

"Withstand what?" Allanon asked, venturing a few steps closer to her and pressing into her mind again. She narrowed her eyes in thought and licked her lips carefully as she concentrated on all fronts that bombarded her.

"The pain. The fear." She breathed out and took a deep breath, sighing heavily as though something dark resided on her heart. "The overwhelming sadness... I would have succumbed to it all. I would have allowed myself to fall into a pit of despair that I may never have crawled back out from."

She said nothing more as she moved back to stand before the front of the tree. She looked up, examining the leaves on the branches. Something up high caught her attention, making her walk up the short stone staircase to the tree. She cupped her hands and held them up, catching a leaf. It burned in her hands and disappeared, leaving not a trace.

"What is it?" Allanon asked gently, tilting his head slightly to one side as he watched her closely. She almost felt as though he were testing her abilities, pushing her mind while the Ellcrys tested her soul.

"This tree is not sick, Druid. It is dying, as you said. But not from any _natural_. I detect something more sinister at work." Her breath was low as though afraid to speak. She looked up at the tree again, eyes wide and mouth agape slightly.

"Such as?" Allanon pressed her, reassuring her that she was indeed being tested by him. She had known that her words in the woods had caused suspicion within him. She had wanted to tell him something about herself, about her abilities, but she had forewent it. Now, it seemed, that he felt the need to test her.

"Dark magic is infecting it." She sensed some evil presence here. Something the tree whispered to her. She looked back to Allanon, no feeling of surprise or shock emitting from him. "But you already knew that."

"Yes." Allanon agreed. She believed he knew more than he let on. She had hoped he would explain it without her needing to prod him, but it appeared that this was not the case. She had shut him out and so he was doing the same. Tit for tat. A song and dance their people had done with one another for centuries.

" _Him_?" She uncupped her hands and looked down the staircase at him. He moved closer again to stand at the base, peering up at her with calm resolve.

"Dagda Mor." Allanon's tone was rough, almost spitting the name to the floor where it seemed to belong. Alessandra's heart stopped as it had earlier. A coldness racing down her spine like ice water. "You have heard of him. You had the same reaction earlier."

It was a confirmation; a truth that he saw in her gaze. She nodded her head of braided golden locks carefully.

"An elven Druid." Her words were only above a whisper, afraid of her own voice. She could feel the Ellcrys shutter at the mentioning of the dark one, sending off radiating waves of worry through her. "The one corrupted by the Ildatch; the artifact of immense dark power."

"The same. Yes." He confirmed, watching the fear spread through her eyes like wildfire through a desiccated field. Her stare left him and instead cast downwards at the floor as her mind raced, gears tearing. She looked up at the tree again with determination set in her features and her eyes. A fire burned within her as a sense of responsibility rolled over her. She sighed heavily, walking closer to the base of the tree. She knelt before it and placed her palms down on her thighs, closing her eyes a moment.

"Dagda Mor." Her voice was soft, the name leaving a bitter taste on her tongue. She turned her head slightly to the left and gazed somewhat over her shoulder at Allanon. "He is kept somewhere by magic this tree possess?"

"Yes." Allanon's answer was simple and direct. It was what she needed at the moment. No long explanations. No confusing verbiage. Simple and to the point.

"The tree has its own power." As she spoke, Allanon knew the words were not for him. She was working this out on her own. He could sense her hesitation to touch the tree as though she anticipated something would happen if she did. She chewed on her upper lip, debating with herself.

"She does not speak to everyone." Allanon assured her, but he could quickly see she did not believe this. She gave a small sardonic laugh and turned to look at him over her shoulder once more.

"Her insistence leads me to believe that I won't be so lucky." Her voice was playful, but he sensed there was more beneath. She was afraid of something.

"What do you fear?" His words sparked something inside of her.

"The future." She answered honestly with a tone that begged for him to have already known this. However, this was not quite the answer he expected from her. Most people feared the future because of death or pain, but something in her eyes told him it was something far worse. She had seen something before. This future, she felt was destiny.

"Futures are fluid." He began and tried to gauge her reaction. "They are never certain and can always be changed."

"For some, yes, but I fear only one future, Druid." She felt herself wishing to change the subject, but his gaze demanded an explanation from her. "There are too many possibilities and not enough assurances in this world of how things may turn out. I fear this one future will be that which this sapient tree shows me."

"How do you know that is what you will see?" He questioned and watched her carefully as she shook her head. Her golden braid swayed over her back, the base reaching the floor she knelt on.

"I have seen it before." She replied, a ghost of a smirk on the corner of her lips. She gazed over her shoulder at him once more and then faced the tree fully. Slowly, she outstretched a hand. Tentative, cautiously hovering over the bark to her right. Her hand shook, palm sweating with anticipation. The Ellcrys pushed its illness, its sadness onto her as a way to entice her to aid it, to hurry. She had never felt so much at once before and despite her fear, she was comforted to know the tree trusted her.

"Do not be afraid." Allanon's voice was gentle and strong. It rumbled into her chest as though he was giving her his strength. He was close by, a step or two behind her on the stairs. She could almost feel the heat from his body behind her and knew he was prepared for whatever may come.

"Why?" She questioned gently, wanting this to all be over. "Shouldn't we all be afraid? If the tree dies and Dagda Mor is released–"

"We need to **trust** each other, Alessandra, if we are going have any chance of being successful." He watched her closely as her hand trembled while it crept closer to the bark of the tree limb nearest her. "You are not alone."

"Good answer, Druid." She smiled, feeling some of the weight lifting from her as his words implanted their roots deep inside her mind. She looked back to her hand, trebling and outstretched towards the tree.

Allanon watched closely, tilting his head to the right to examine her motions carefully. He sees that suddenly, as though an invisible force pulled her to the tree itself, her hand slammed down on the bark. Her head flung back, mouth agape slightly and eyes wide open towards the sky where the sun had nearly completed setting. Her once blue orbs were white, pure white as he recognized the energy she channeled had taken over her mind and allowed her entrance into the Ellcrys.

"Be gentle with her." He spoke firmly as he gazed up at the Ellcrys, sensing a nightmarish radiance emitting from it. He could not imagine what the sapient tree had in store for the young Elemental, but he assumed it would be difficult. He looked back down at Alessandra and moved closer, sitting down on the step closest to her with his back to her and the tree. He leaned his elbows on his knees and laced his hands together, closing his eyes.

There he waited... and waited... and waited as Alessandra remained in her entranced state. Even when the sun fell so low that its light no longer cast shadows in the Sanctuary. Even when the moon rose up in the sky and the soft, white glow seemed to illuminate the Elemental alone. Even when the crickets began to chirp and the owls called out deep in the night.

Still he waited. Ever silent. Ever patient. Ever trusting.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you all or your continued patronage! Again, thank you **swingrlm** for your reviews. If anything is not making sense, since I am writing these chapters so quickly and making them so long, just speak up everyone. I'll explain or fix the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

 _~Inside the Ellcrys~_

 _It was cold... It was dark... It was dead..._

 _Alessandra's eyes burst open as she inhaled sharply, coughing suddenly at the acrid air that filled her lungs. She moved her arms and legs languidly, feeling only ruble beneath her. Her fingers clenched and released, muscles tensed and aching. Her whole body ached as though she had fallen a great distance and landed on the hard ground beneath her now. She stared up at the dull, grey sky that held a heavy smog far up. She tilted her head back, dirt and pebbles entangling in her hair._

" _No..." she breathed out hurriedly, her voice only a whisper. She felt something constrict her heart as fear washed over her, a chill running down her spine. The upside-down scene was depressed, decimated, and dead._

 _She quickly pushed herself to sit up, legs curling around her like a tail. Her gaze slowly moved right to left as her heart hammered in her chest. She pressed her palms firmly into the dry, cracked earth and pushed herself up to stand. Her hair, caked with dirt and ash, slapped against her face and her back with the harshening wind._

" _This cannot be..." She breathed out hoarsely, lips cracked and throat raw as though she had gone without water for weeks. Before her was nothing except ruin. Rock, crag, dirt, but no life of any kind. No grass, no soil, no trees or flowers or even birds. A heavy, fog like haze was in the air swirling in thick clouds. The wind, striking and bitter, thrashed in waves and tossed dirt and rocks about that hit her flesh like needles. She had to squint as the debris struck her eyes. She raised a hand up in front of her face to block the dirt and pebbles, searching helplessly across the barren land for signs of life._

 _"Hello?!" She called out over the sound of the rushing wind and rocks. There came no reply. She began to walk, feeling the force of the wind hitting her and nearly knocking her backwards. Her steps were careful, wobbly as she was blown left to right and then back again. Cracks and crags in the earth ran deep and wide, threatening to swallow any life that had the unfortunate fate of coming to close. She jumped over a particularly wide separation in the earth, falling to her knees on the opposite side._

 _She saw no signs of life, no signs of anything in any direction. It all looked the same; grey, dirty, wasted. As she journeyed further in this strange world, she quickly understood where exactly she was. She came upon a desolate ruined village where homes were broken and deserted. Skeletons, femurs, feet, jaws, skulls littered the deadened earth like some kind of nightmarish graveyard._

 _This was her world… her home... and it was all dead._

 _Alessandra felt an unsurmountable amount of sadness strike her heart, piercing through the muscle like a searing knife. Her legs went weak and she fell abruptly to her knees. Sobs escaped her in heavy, fast beats as tears ran wildly down her dirtied cheeks. She heaved and gasped as the sobs racked her body. Her right hand crossed her chest to place a palm to her heart, nails digging into her flesh and drawing small droplets of ruby colored blood._

" _Why?!" Alessandra screamed out and felt herself begin to crumple into a ball, chest coming down to her thighs as she craned her neck to view the sight ahead of her. She raised her head to the sky, tears blurred and red. "Why do you show me this?!"_

 _"You have seen this before." The voice was soft, melodic, but far away from her. "It is nothing new."_

 _"Please, no." Alessandra whimpered for long while, just starring out at the bleak, desolation. Her eyes landed on two skeletons, one's arms wrapped around the smaller set as though protecting the child from some invisible harm._

 _"The destruction of the earth, your home, your people," the voice was closer now and seemed to grow more confident, "while you are forever doomed to live alone in the wake. This is your greatest fear."_

 _"Is this to be my future? Truly?" Alessandra fell forwards with the palms of her hands pressed firmly into the rough, broken dirt. She closed her eyes tightly, fresh tears streaming down her face and falling to the parched earth. The earth drank her tears up and left no trace as soon as they landed, crying out for more._

 _"This does not have to be, daughter of Terra." The voice came again, gentler this time and Alessandra could almost feel it wrapping around her like a warm summer breeze. "You are the last Guardian of Earth. You alone have the power to save it."_

 _Alessandra lifted her head slightly, feeling the earth beneath her hands moving. She opened her eyes and stared down at the earth between her hands. There a small green shoot had sprung up from nothing it seemed, apart from her tears, and continued to grow until it bloomed into a bright stargazer. Her favorite flower._

 _"You are the last Guardian and the Earth's last hope." The voice was around her, encircling her in warmth and comfort. "You must take your vows, daughter of Terra. Become who you were meant to be."_

 _Alessandra said nothing. She reached out a dirtied hand and touched the delicate petals of the stargazer._

 _"You still have time, Alessandra." The voice prodded her again gently; almost afraid it would scare her off. Alessandra let her hand fall away from the beautiful thing amidst all the destruction. "You both still have time."_

 _"Both...?" Alessandra breathed out in a huff and knitted her eyebrows together in misunderstanding. She raised her gaze from the flower and finally spotted the personification of the great sapient tree._

 _"There is another traveling on the same path as you." The Ellcrys' voice was level, but growing impatient. She was beautiful and delicate, holding Alessandra's gaze fiercely._

" _Who is the second you speak of, Ellcrys?" Alessandra cared little for the ferocity to which Ellcrys gazed upon her with. She was tired of being toyed with, exhausted of being a puppet on a string. She felt her fears of the scene before her, the pain, the illness, sliding off her like droplets of water._

 _"A human. A man. One comparable to you in power and skill." The voice was cryptic, but Alessandra instantly knew whom she described._

 _"You speak of the Druid? Of Allanon?" She was more than a little bit confused and yet something inside her screamed that she already understood. She had since their first meeting. She knew it had been too much of a coincidence, their meeting. It had to mean more._

 _"You will save the earth and he shall save our souls. You are two sides of a balance, counterweights." The voice, Ellcrys, approached her and knelt before her, taking her hands in her own. They felt abnormal, the sensation was as though she were in a dream; hazy. "Both of you shall save us. Together as one; as equals."_

 _Alessandra said nothing for a long while. She pulled her hands away from Ellcrys and leaned back on her heels. She cast her gaze on the scene behind the personification of the great tree; the skeletons holding one another. Her eyes then befell the stargazer; alive and vibrant. She understood the metaphor. Her tears had given the earth in this vision new life as she was supposed to spread new life in the real world._

 _"How do I accomplish this?" Alessandra's words were firm, taking responsibility for the destiny thrust upon her shoulders._

 _"Take your vows." Ellcrys smiled at her and placed a hand to her cheek._

 _"I need a Keeper." Alessandra met her stare, feeling the familiar burning sensation of fight deep within her. She had argued this many times with Björn, who pushed for her to take her vows, to become the Guardian everyone already looked at her as._

" _And so, you shall have one." Ellcrys' eyes sparkled with mischief that made Alessandra uncomfortable. She turned her head slightly away, forcing the hand from her cheek and stood up. Ellcrys followed suit and met her eye to eye._

" _Does he already know?" Alessandra asked, wondering if the Druid had already had this conversation with the tree. Ellcrys shook her head of dark strands slowly. Realization struck Alessandra hard and quick. "You're going to make me deliver the message."_

 _Ellcrys said nothing, only smiled at her with the same mischief in her eyes._

" _What if he does not believe me? What then, great Ellcrys? What happens when the Druid rejects the Elemental?" Alessandra's tone was slightly biting, feeling as though the puppet strings were still firmly attached to her. "Druids are stubborn, reclusive, duty bound fools who ostracized my kind."_

 _Ellcrys instinctually bent down and plucked the stargazer from the desolate earth. She raised it up, examined it and then held it out to Alessandra._

" _He is different. He will understand." Ellcrys waited for Alessandra to take the flower, taking a step backwards once she had. Alessandra's eyes moved over the flower slowly as the weight of the Ellcrys' words set in._

 _He will understand…_

 _Alessandra closed her eyes, grimacing as she remembered that she had thought the same the day before._

 _ **Someone who understands as I understand. An equal. –** she thought to herself now and sighed heavily. She shook her head of matted golden hair._

" _He thinks you brought me here to heal you from your illness. Stop the darkness leeching away your life." Alessandra emphasized, eyes opening and lifting from the living matter in her hand. "He believes I am here to save you."_

" _You are here to heal **everyone** , daughter of Terra." Ellcrys had returned to being cryptic and Alessandra instantly understood Allanon's annoyance earlier at her own riddles._

" _Heal everyone?" Alessandra repeated the words bitterly as fresh tears sprung to her eyes. "Not everyone can **be** healed. Some things are unrepairable and I am not so strong as you believe, oh great sapient tree."_

" _Nothing is permanent." Ellcrys' voice was soft, a breath on the wind as she reached out a hand to Alessandra. "Not even what happened to you, Alessandra."_

 _Tears raced down Alessandra's cheeks, hot and filled with despair. She wished she had never come here, never followed the insistence of the tree no matter how much it hurt her. The pain of forgoing the tree's sadness, pain, illness, was nothing compared to the overwhelming sorrow that lived deep in her own heart every single day._

" _You need to heal yourself before you can heal another." Ellcrys explained, watching the woman before her crumpling. "You need to trust before you will be trusted."_

" _ **We need to trust each other, Alessandra, if we are going have any chance of being successful."**_

 _Allanon's words bounced around inside her head. They begged for understanding, for return of something that she did not know if she could give._

" _I cannot." Alessandra argued._

" _You will. You both will." Ellcrys began to back away, her flowing white dress thrashing in the harsh winds. She stopped and held up a hand again, one single finger raised. Alessandra realized what the Ellcrys wanted, what needed to happen before anything else, why she had really been brought here. Her life was not her own. It never had been. She had always known this, but had fought so hard against it._

" _The world's fate depends on the last Guardian and the last Druid." Ellcrys slowly turned and disappeared into the growing wind, debris and dust being kicked up to shield her from view. Alessandra gripped the flower tightly in her hand and thrust her other up to cover her face. She felt rocks and dirt strike her face, her arms, her back. Her hair whipped and slapped her back like a cat-of-nine._

 _"Go and heal, daughter of Terra. Return when you have learned to trust." Ellcrys' voice was like a whisper on the wind. It circled her and clouded her mind. Alessandra closed her eyes and hugged the flower to her chest as she felt the wind circling her like a whirlwind. She felt her senses drift away, her body grow light and she found herself swept away._

* * *

~The Sanctuary~

~Dawn~

Allanon sat firmly in his place on the stairs, his back to Alessandra's motionless form. He had never moved in the hours she had been under the enchantment of the Ellcrys. He sat resolute, hands lanced and elbows on his knees with eyes closed in meditation. He pondered his next moves, the boy from the barn that he and his companions had found on their journey to Arborlon, the next portion of the long journey that the others would need to take without him.

He opened his eyes and stared at the large double doors of the Sanctuary. The engravings in old elven and Druid tongue had weathered from the passage of time. The first of the sun's light began to peek through cracks in the door, casting odd shadows on the floor. Alessandra had been under nearly fourteen hours and yet still there did not seem the slightly notion that the Ellcrys was finished with her. However, the princess Amberle would need to speak to the Ellcrys next and soon to ensure that the next stage of this unholy mess would be cleaned up. Amberle was the last Chosen. He had neglected to inform Alessandra of that before when they had discussed those who watched over the tree.

The other Chosen were murdered not too long ago and the sight made his skin crawl still. The culprit walked the halls of the palace at this very moment. It was searching and plotting for Dagda Mor, enacting horrible atrocities on this side of the plane. This, he too, neglected to mention. She did not need to know everything. It would not have helped her anyway. Only frightened her more and with the unsurmountable amount of anguish the Ellcrys had forced upon her, she did not need another thing to plague her mind and soul. He would bear it alone.

Behind him, Alessandra suddenly inhaled so sharply that it sounded as though her lungs may burst inside her chest. Allanon turned around swiftly and watched as her body shook, hand seeming fused to the bark of the Ellcrys. The white that had covered her eyes slipped away like a curtain rising from a window to let in the light. Her eyes rolled in their sockets and her body abruptly went limp, falling backwards.

He caught her easily in his arms, head against his left shoulder while her knees remained beneath her. She looked different. She was no longer pristine in her white top and golden pants. Her hair, which had started in a neat French braid, was matted and dirty. Her hands crusted in the same powdery filth, dirt beneath her chipped and cracked nails. Small cuts marred the delicate skin on her face, blotches of red on her cheeks as though a harsh wind had stripped them. In her hands, gripped tightly as though afraid to let go, was a flower. A stargazer in full bloom.

What has happened? – Allanon questioned silently as he observed her again. This was not the woman he had looked over his shoulder at few moments ago. She looked as though she had been through Hell and back. Her clothes and body suddenly having transformed before his eyes to match the self that had gone into the recesses of the Ellcrys. He looked her over again, turning her face left and right with a gloved hand, but she did not stir.

"Alessandra?" He called to her sternly, hoping the tone and power in his voice would wake her. However, it did not. He let his hand fall away and gave her body a gentle shake, careful in the act and not wanting to aggravate some unforeseen injury elsewhere. "Alessandra, can you hear me?"

He saw her eyes move beneath their lids this time. Her eyes fluttered open, but they could not remain that way for longer than a moment. Her head was heavy and neck limp, body slumped against him. He tried to probe her mind and felt her exhaustion; overwhelming and all encompassing. Every ounce of her energy had been sapped, leaving her like a ragdoll in his arms.

"Open your eyes." He demanded gently as he repositioned her in his arms, pulling her legs out from under her and extending them across the top of the steps at the base of the Ellcrys. He slid her sideways in his arms so that his left arm cradled her shoulders, her right cheek pressed to his shoulder. He took his right gloved hand and pressed it to her cheek, giving her head a gentle yet firm shake. "Woman, wake up."

He called to her again and again and again. Finally, her eyes open languidly and the whites were reddened with exhaustion. Her breathing was unsteady. Her blue orbs met his gaze, but he could see in them that her mind was hazed and scattered. Emotions of all kinds swirled in her stare, flashing and disappearing.

"Druid..." She breathed out, her voice low, raw and drifting away. She took a deep breath and sighed out his name. "Allanon."

"What did the Ellcrys tell you?" He needed to know and now. Was there another way to save the only defense this world had? Was she it? Had she been shown or told something similar to himself?

"Allanon," she breathed out again as her eyelashes fluttered with the struggle to keep her eyes open, "something's wrong."

"What?" Allanon felt a shift in the air suddenly. He peered down at her for a long moment as her features scrunched in discomfort. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't know. I don't feel right." She admitted and squirmed slightly in his arms. She was suddenly aware that she gripped something tightly in her hands. Her gaze snaked downwards to the flower and widened. Everything that she had seen, had hear, been told came rushing back to her and strangled the last of her energy from her.

"Keeper..." Alessandra murmured as her eyes closed again. She forced them open once more and looked up at Allanon with urgency.

"What is it?" Allanon encouraged her, seeing worry etching into her features. "What? Speak."

"Ellcrys said I need," Alessandra continued and abruptly her eyes rolled into the back of her head. With the last bit of strength she had, she breathed out two final words, "my Keeper."

Allanon tried to shake her again, to call out to her, but she was lost to the conscious world. She went completely limp in his hold again and he was left to wonder what her words meant.

 _Keeper._ – he thought the word over again and again. He did not understand. What and who was this Keeper? A Historian? A benefactor? Someone she knew; her brother?

"Hello?" A small, confident voice rang out from a side door in the Sanctuary. Allanon recognized it instantly.

"Wil!" Allanon called for the boy as he pushed his right arm beneath Alessandra's knees. He picked her up in his arms bridal style and carefully walked down the stone stairs. Wil's light, clumsy footfalls came closer as he rounded the tree. His shoulder length blonde hair fell into his face and he quickly pushed it away with a single black gloved hand.

"Allanon, what's going–" Wil's words stopped short as he observed the woman in the Druid's arms. He raised an indignant finger and pointed at her with an arched eyebrow. "Hey, wait. Allanon is that–?"

"Yes, now get the door Wil." Allanon briskly brushed passed Wil and headed for the room he had taken up as his own during his stay in Arborlon. Wil followed closely behind the tall man, opening the door to the caretaker's old room. Allanon walked down the short hall and turned right into the small bedroom. He laid Alessandra down on the bed gently, lying her legs down fist and then her head upon the pillow. In her hands, clutched just as tightly, was still the stargazer.

"Is she alright?" Wil piped up as he looked over the woman's disheveled form. The way she laid in the bed appeared as though she had passed from this world into the next. Especially with the flower grasped in her hands and placed on her abdomen.

"She's alive." Allanon was quick with his retort as he stood up straight. The sun's light had risen, but not yet enough and so he waved a hand for the candles in their various positions about the room to light. Their yellow-orange glow allowed him to watch over her as she slumbered with heavy, steady breathing. Wil scrutinized the situation further, shaking his head and running a hand over his mouth.

"What happened to her? She looks like she's been through Hell." He could plainly see that something had happened to the woman. When he had gone looking for the Druid, Björn, the emissary of King Eventine, had caught him in one of the halls of the palace. He had explained where Allanon was, whom he was with, and why Wil needed to leave them alone. Now, Wil was glad he had done just that. Everything was becoming too much for him. He just wanted to go home and not get caught up in whatever Allanon was meddling in now.

"She spoke with the Ellcrys." Allanon announced, breaking Wil from his thoughts. The Druid walked around the bed and headed for his pack, which sat slung over the back of the chair at the small round table.

" **That** ," Wil pointed again at Alessandra's sleeping form and then tore his gaze away to face Allanon incredulously, "is the result of speaking to the tree everyone says is so great?"

"No." Allanon was curt as he searched for items in his bag, pulling out a smudge stick and other herbs. Wil's presence and questioning was itching at him. Allanon pulled out a small mortar and pestle and placed the herbs, a few drops of oil, and a dash of something green into it. He turned back around and faced Wil, nodding his head at the woman in his bed with a heated gaze. " **That** is the result of something else."

"Something else?" Wil urged, keeping back enough so as not to get in the way, but not leaving either. "Something else like what?"

"The Ellcrys tested her commitment to her duties while also using her to channel energy into itself so it could heal. Alessandra's state is the result of it all." Allanon answered tersely. He moved back to the bed and set down the mortar and pestle on the side table, lying the smudge stick beside it. He plucked the flower from her hands, gazing at it briefly and set it down on the side table. He ground up the contents in the mortar and then dipped his fingers in the salve, spreading it over the cuts and scrapes covering the exposed skin on her hands. He could feel fever and his eyes slowly crept to her face as a sting of apprehension plagued him.

"Well, is she going to be alright?" Wil's gaze befell the woman again in the bed. She looked to be worn from years of hard battle, dark circles beneath her eyes, body limp, and breathing shallow.

"Yes." Allanon continued to spread the salve over her wounds, looking to the flower again offhandedly.

"You're sure? Because from here I'm not so certain." Wil acknowledged. "And what do you mean the tree used her to heal itself? And what the Hell do you mean she can channel energy? Is she like you? Does she use magic?"

"Wil." Allanon had lost his patience. He tilted his head stiffly to the right as his eyes closed and cracked his neck. Wil saw the stiffness of the Druid's body and shut his mouth tight. "Go find the emissary; Björn."

"And tell him what?" Wil questioned, defiance no longer in his tone. "That a woman just spoke to the Ellcrys and got her brain fried?"

"Tell him, his **sister** has come out from speaking with the Ellcrys." Allanon answered, continuing his ministrations on the woman before him. He spread some of the salve over her cheeks and then over the scrapes and cuts.

"His _sister_?" Wil's voice was thoughtful. His gaze trailed to the woman again, seeing the similarities that now screamed at him. Under the caked-on dirt and debris he did see the features of the emissary; high cheekbones, straight nose, delicate brow, pouted lips.

"Wil, go now. I have questions for him." Allanon's booming voice shocked Wil from his thoughts. The boy stumbled backwards into the wall and then rounded it, heading down the short hall to the open door into the Sanctuary.

Allanon's eyes drifted to his right and lingered on the flower that sat on the side table. He knew the genus, the common name, and understood that these flowers did not grow anywhere near Arborlon. They did not grow **anywhere** anymore. They were extinct.

"How did you get it then?" He questioned gently as he looked back to Alessandra. She spoke nothing in return as she slumbered deeply, unconcerned with the rest of the world. She had not physically entered the Ellcrys, if she had he would have believed the tree to have given her the precious thing, but she had not. Yet she had somehow ended up carrying it in her hands, had pulled forth from the tree's consciousness an extinct species of flora.

Or perhaps... was it all her?

"You are more than I suspected, young one." Allanon breathed out, returning his hands to his lap, eyebrows knitting together in concentration. "There are few things left in this world that surprise me, but a Pygmy that can create life from nothingness is new even for me."

He turned to the side table and took hold of the smudge stick. He held the end out to the candle that sat lit behind the mortar and singed the end. White smoke erupted from the smudge and he carefully dragged it over Alessandra's still form, cleansing her. As he swayed the smudge over her again, starting at her head and working towards her feet, he noticed something in her left pocket.

It was an odd shape, oblong and protruding through her taut golden pants. He took his free hand and dug in her pocket for the strange thing. It was two things; two gems. He stared down at them in the palm of his gloved hand; polished, shaped oblong, rounded. One was a deep purple color, crystalline in places while the other he recognized as the amber she had used on him. He set the purple gem down on the side table with the smudge stick and examined the amber closer. He noticed etchings in the gem, hand done most likely by her and unrecognizable to him. He held the piece up before the light of the candle, seeing the markings better, but still unable to discern their meaning.

"It's amber. She uses it to heal." The voice was warm, but tired. Allanon did not need to turn his head to know who had spoken to him; Björn. The emissary stood at the edge of the wall that separated the short hall from the single bedroom. He leaned his right shoulder against the rounded corner and watched his sister's sleeping form helplessly. "Wil found me. Seemed very upset over all this. Will she be alright?"

"She needs rest. She was drained of all her strength even before entering the consciousness of the Ellcrys." Allanon replied, looking down at the woman to his left. He palmed the amber in his hand, covering it with his fingers.

"Looks as though the Ellcrys didn't take it easy on her." Björn moved further into the room with a small leather pouch clasped in one hand, and stood at the foot of the bed.

"No, it would appear not." Allanon agreed and looked back at Björn. "The Ellcrys was testing your sister."

"And did she pass with flying colors or crash and burn?" Björn questioned with scorn evident in his voice as he pulled a chair from the small round table closer. He sat down and leaned back, swinging his sword away so it would not bother his side. He turned to his right and set the pouch down on the table, freeing his hands.

"I believe she succeeded." Allanon looked to the side table where the stargazer sat and then set the amber down beside the purple gem. The smudge still smoldered in his opposite hand, catching his attention. He brought it closer to his lips, leaned closer to Alessandra's face and blew some of the smoke straight at her. He mumbled a chant under his breath with eyes closed and then set the smudge down in the mortar.

"Did she say anything when she came out?" Björn leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. Allanon thought a moment about what she had spoken. There were only two things she had managed to express before falling unconscious:

 _Something's wrong... I don't feel right..._

 _The Ellcrys said I need my Keeper..._

"What is a Keeper?" Allanon chose not to mention Alessandra's worried confession to her brother and instead sought an answer to his own interests. He looked down at the resting woman on his bed and tried to sense the wrong that she claimed had overcome her. He felt nothing though. Everything seemed in order.

"Keeper? You're certain she mentioned this?" Björn almost could not believe the term had come up, that his sister had been the one who had spoken it. His eyes, once bright grey, began to stir and darken like a storm. He found his sister's face and narrowed his gaze. "She talked about a Keeper?"

"Her Keeper. Actually." Allanon corrected and looked back at the young emissary. Björn's eyes abruptly found Allanon and his look swam with emotion. "Have you not heard of this before?"

"Never from her." Björn admitted, a look in his eye telling the Druid that there was turmoil deep within him. Björn took a deep breath and sighed, gaze returning to his sister.

"What can you tell me?" Allanon encouraged lightly, sensing the subject a troubled one for the young man. Was there anger there in the emissary's eyes?

"Not much." Björn's tone held bitterness and Allanon recognized that this subject was as sore one between the emissary and his sister. Björn shook his head. "Only that each Guardian must have a Keeper. The Keeper must be willing and go through the Vows with the Guardian in order to become a protector to them."

"And where is hers?" Allanon pressed, seeing there was something else beneath the surface. A skeleton Björn and Alessandra had been keeping in the darkest recess; a secret. Björn met the stare of the Druid, a battle waging within him.

"Alessandra doesn't have one." Björn confessed in a sigh and Allanon could sense there was more.

"Without a Keeper, the Guardian is unprotected. If the Guardian is unprotected, she is vulnerable to the dark one, which places the Ellcrys in an even more precarious position." Allanon contemplated and looked back to Alessandra, watching her chest rise and fall slowly as she slumbered deeply. The air in the room changed, grew thicker and heavy. Allanon looked back at Björn, who stared at his sister as though in pain, full of grief. Allanon narrowed his gaze at the man in question. "What else are you keeping from me?"

"It's not you we're trying to keep it from." Björn's voice was soft, almost a whisper as though afraid to speak too loudly for fear that the walls may have ears. "It's our people."

Something in the way Björn said this made the Druid suddenly fall prey to apprehension. His eyes befell the woman again, silently questioning her and the pit he suddenly felt he was falling in to.

"What about your people?" Allanon's voice was low, demanding. He did not have time for these games. If there was an issue with the Guardian, with her abilities, he needed to know. The Ellcrys was depending on her. The world needed her aid.

"Our people respect her. Revere her even. She is the strongest Elemental in centuries and the first Pygmy of consequence in a millennia. We haven't had a Guardian in our line for even longer." Björn knew he was circling around the cold hard truth. He could see in the Druid's gaze that he suspected something direly wrong. He could also sense the growing impatience and anger. "They expect so much from her; safety, freedom, acceptance."

"Spit it out, boy." Allanon's voice became harsh, patience indeed growing thin. "I have had enough of yours and your sister's cryptic riddles. Speak clearly and speak truthfully."

"Alessandra is without a Keeper. She has been for a VERY long time." Björn's words held finality to them that Allanon did not like. He looked back at the emissary, gaze darkening as he read his mind. Björn faltered as he tried to finish his words. "She isn't a Guardian."

 _Not a Guardian?_ – Allanon thought to himself, eyes narrowing at Björn again. His mind raced as the weight of the confession sat heavy in the room. – _Did the Ellcrys know? It must. So, it has chosen to trust a powerful Elemental, who has no protector, leaving itself and the woman open to Dagda Mor and his dark magic._

"No Elemental can become a Guardian without having a Keeper first. Alessandra has never found a Keeper." Björn tried his best to explain, but this was beyond his understandings of his own people's customs.

"Why not?" Allanon was growing edgy as the thoughts rattling around in his head ignited a fire deep within him.

"You will have to ask her when she wakes. Maybe she will tell you. Heavens knows she never felt comfortable confiding in me about it." Björn replied and shook his head, running a firm hand over his mouth. "All I know is there are rules to all this. Ones that I never bothered to learn before leaving for Arborlon."

The two men fell into an uneasy silence. The only sounds came from the crackling candle and Alessandra's soft breathing.

"You worry for her." Allanon commented as he watched Björn, noting the growing look of concern on his face. It had nothing to do with her present state. It was something else entirely.

"Of course I worry for her. She's my little sister." Björn gave a scoffing laugh as though the Druid was dumb for announcing such a thing.

"You cannot protect her from everything." Allanon's words were true. Björn realized in them just how true and how wise the Druid was. The truth, while it hurt, it also seemed to lift a weight from his shoulders.

"I can only protect her until she has a Keeper. Then, it is no longer my duty." Björn's tone grew disheartened at this idea as though it pained him to admit. "I will have no choice but to stand aside as she will have no need of me any longer."

"You are her brother. She will always have need of you." Allanon's words held a double meaning in them. "You will still have a duty to her. Only, instead of standing in front of her to protect her from the world, you will stand beside her and face it together."

Björn gave a small smile in the Druid's direction, grateful for the kind words and felt some of his contempt dissipate. The words empowered him in a way, comforted him. They were words that someone in his past might have said to him in a similar situation. Someone who had died many years ago.

"I understand now why Alessandra enjoyed talking with you so much the other day." Björn laughed and leaned back in his seat again, right arm strung over the back of the chair comfortably. His eyes moved from the Druid to his sister and then back again, cementing on the older man.

"Why is that?" Allanon was confused and turned himself to face the emissary. His grey eyes bore into the Druid as though trying to read his mind. Allanon wondered briefly if the emissary had this skill, but when he felt no push on his mind, he determined it was not one of his abilities.

"There are not many who can speak of worldly and otherworldly things at her caliber." Björn's lips curled into a roguish smirk as his gaze befell his sister's sleeping form once again. His smirk held and he shook his head of strawberry blonde hair, running a hand through it to move it from his face. "Not anymore anyways. Not since the calamity of the Great War."

The air fell silent again. Björn watched his sister while the Druid watched him. He could feel a push on his mind, but he was stronger than that. His eyes found Allanon's.

"What class are you?" Allanon questioned abruptly, trying to perceive the emissary's abilities. He was hovering between two options; Sylph of the air or Undine of the water. The group, the three of them, had intrigued him as a scholar and Druid. Elementals virtually having vanished into legend before the Great War broke out nearly five hundred years ago.

"I'm an Undine." Björn did not meet his stare again and instead went back to watching over his sister. He focused on sensing the water flowing inside of her, her blood coursing in her veins, and determined that her body was withering like soil that had not seen rain. He could also sense unrest in her, feelings that were not at peace.

"And your niece, what class does she belong to?" Allanon watched the young man carefully, seeing the way his eyes scanned over Alessandra ever so meticulously. He was an Undine, which meant he could control water, but also carried on his back the weight of mankind's emotional pollution; anger, emotional abuse, unloving speech, selfishness, anxiety, indulgence. It made him empathic and it explained his quick temper and easy forgiveness. His emotions worked off of those of others.

"She's a Sylph." Björn replied carefully, sensing what direction this conversation was quickly heading in.

"And her parents?" Allanon's question broke Björn from his work, forcing his eyes to move and meet the Druid's stare.

"They're nothing anymore." Björn's tone held finality, an end to the whole conversation that demanded silence now. He stood from his seat, left hand coming to rest on the hilt of his sword. "Tell my sister when she wakes that she needs to drink, eat and then go to the springs."

Allanon nodded his head in acceptance. He understood he had overstepped a boundary. His social skills were lacking. The long Druid Sleep he had endured had diminished what little skill in social interactions he had had once.

"If you would, give this to her also." Björn reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a slip of parchment. He turned to the table and took the pouch, moving closer to the bed. He outstretched the parchment and pouch to Allanon, who took it in his large gloved hand. He turned to the side table and set them down, eyes grazing over the flower.

"Tell her she is beyond dehydrated and her body is beginning to wither like the flora she cares so much about." Björn's voice was insistent. Allanon remembered him instructing his sister the day before on the same matter for the very same reasons. The emissary looked at his sister a final time and then headed for the short hall.

"Björn." Allanon called to him just before he exited the caretaker's quarters. Björn paused at the door, staring out at the Ellcrys that stood tall and intimidating. Allanon's gaze fell onto the candle, the flame flickering in his dark eyes. "How powerful is she?"

Björn said nothing for a long moment. His mind reeled as he sensed the air around him change. His eyebrows knitted together and slowly he turned around, walking tentatively back down the short hall. He stood in the doorway, staring intently at the Druid, whose side was turned to him. The flame of the candle cast shadows, dark and wicked, over his tanned and hardened features. He looked like the stories Björn had been told as a child about the Druids; secretive, introspective, and guarded.

"Why?" Björn's voice was restrained, almost wishing he hadn't stopped and come back. Allanon said nothing and simply moved a hand, taking hold of something on the side table.

"When she returned to her body from speaking with the Ellcrys," Allanon turned slightly, gaze on the item in his hand and held it up for Björn to view, "she was gripping onto this."

Björn said nothing. His face betrayed nothing. It held no emotion, no twist in his features. Only his eyes betrayed him. The grey churned and became a raging storm. The hand on the hilt of his sword tightened, knuckles going white.

"I would assume the Ellcrys gave it to her." Allanon continued and looked back at the flower in his hand. Björn said nothing again. His eyes grew darker as his gaze fell on Allanon. He knew he was being toyed with, that the Druid already knew the answer and was only looking for confirmation. Allanon turned the flower slowly in his fingers, examining it. "But your sister didn't physically enter the tree."

"What are you really asking me, Druid?" Björn's words were biting, guarded. He was still trying to protect his sister from something, Allanon sensed.

"This species has been extinct in our world for ages." Allanon continued and stood up from the bed, flower still in hand. He thrust it towards Alessandra on the bed as though to point accusingly at her, "So, how did your sister come to possess it?"

"You already know how. I could feel you inside my mind ealier, Druid." Björn snapped, eyes threatening and hand sliding down the top of the hilt to grasp the sword firmly. He was preparing to fight if need be. He may be a man of word and pen now, but he had once been a solider. He would always be his sister's soldier; her defender. Allanon sensed this, saw this in action now and silently praised him for it.

"I am not the enemy, Björn. Our world faces damnation and destruction by a formidable darkness. Your sister was brought here by the Ellcrys to aid in the upcoming war, the same as myself." Allanon tried to diffuse the situation quickly, his words carefully chosen. He searched the emissary's face and saw the storm in his eyes beginning to dissipate. "I want to help, but to do that I need to understand first."

Björn clicked his tongue in his cheek and scoffed. His heart hammered his chest with the rushing blood in his veins.

"I explained earlier that my people, what's left of them anyway, revere her, venerate her almost as though she were an otherworldly being." Björn began to explain, eyes befalling the flower once more. He raised a hand and motioned at it. "They believe she is their savior and **that** … that flower, is only a fraction of what she is capable of."

"How? I thought she merely channeled energy." Allanon found himself mystified, struggling to understand. There was so much that he and his people had not known about the Elementals. Their own pride and secrecy had turned them into hermits, who ignored beings of similar standing, and thus, the divide and ignorance between them now was horrible evident.

"So, did my brother and I." Björn admitted and took a deep breath. "But when she was young, older than Aria, her ability began to change. We noticed things, _strange_ things, when she thought she was alone in the woods. She can do so **much** more than simply channel energy, Druid."

 _How much more? –_ Allanon found himself wondering. A spark of concern suddenly plagued him at the thought.

"She always said that energy can never be created nor destroyed. Only altered. But the way **she** can alter it though... it's both remarkable and terrifying." Björn acknowledged and looked down at his sister. "That flower, that **extinct** flower, she undoubtedly created from nothing more than the energy she channels. It's almost as though the energy itself uses her for its own schemes at times. As though it is sentient."

Allanon's dark brown eyes befell the sleeping woman again with Björn. Both men stood in wonderment and disquiet as the information settled around them.

"I worry for her." Björn's voice was so soft Allanon would have sworn it had been only the crackling of the candle. Björn shook his head, eyes glazing over as he fell deeper into his own thoughts. "That much energy coursing through her... it cannot lead to anything good in the end. She needs a Keeper, Allanon. We need to find one."

Björn's gaze snapped to the Druid before him, eyes almost pleading with him for something; an answer, a solution, anything. Allanon, deep down, felt he knew what was really being asked of him by the young man. He knew, deep down, that the Ellcrys was pulling strings like a puppet master and he was expected to dance the same as Alessandra. They were both pawns on a larger chessboard, being moved around as the universe saw fit.

"She will have a Keeper, Björn. I will make sure of that." Allanon's voice was confirmation as he set a large, gloved hand on Björn's shoulder. It sat heavy there as though weighted by lead. Something in his heart screamed at him, instructed him that the Ellcrys knew something he didn't. He needed to converse with it; soon.

"Thank you." Björn tried for a smile, but it faltered. He turned from the man's hand and headed for the door, exiting. Allanon looked back down at Alessandra and then at the flower in his hand. He had seen one only once before.


	7. Chapter 7

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~The Sanctuary~

~Mid–Afternoon~

Allanon sat on the steps of the stairs beneath the cover of the Ellcrys' foliage. His eyes were closed and hands clasped together as he meditated beneath the high afternoon sun. Birds called from the woods surrounding the Sanctuary, their songs melodic and enchanting. Went had come back to check on the garden, the Ellcrys, but Allanon had shooed him away with a single steely stare.

The Druid took a deep breath as his thoughts ran deeper and onto earlier events. The reveal that Alessandra was not a Guardian had bothered him more than expected. Yes, she was an Elemental. Yes, she was a Pygmy. Yes, she was strong, but she was not a Guardian. Had the Ellcrys brought her here out of desperation? There were few Elementals left, but certainly there were more Pygmies? ...Or was she truly the last of it all? Was this woman not only the last Guardian, but also the last Pygmy in all the Four Lands? Was her brother the last Undine, her niece that last Sylph? If so, things were direr than even he realized.

No matter the reason, the Ellcrys had trusted Alessandra enough to converse with her. That would have to be enough for him. At least for now. Soon the woman would awaken and he would need to question her. He needed answers.

 _Each Guardian must have a Keeper…_

Björn's words bounced around in his head like an uninvited earworm. Allanon took another deep breath, trying to rid of the pesky emissary's voice and even tried mumbling a mantra. Yet, he was very unsuccessful.

 _She is the strongest Elemental in centuries... the first Pygmy of consequence in a millennia..._

How had the Elementals come to lose so much of their power and standing? Was it all a lingering effect of the Great Wars? It must be. Allanon had never met an Elemental before three days ago when the woman happened upon his dying form. Also, her being the first Pygmy with any real power in over a millennia seemed a rather inconsequential notion to him. However, to Björn, it appeared to be something to fret over. Were there numbers and abilities truly so few as she and her brother had made it seem? This idea offered no comfort when combined with Dagda Mor looming in the not so distant future.

 _We haven't had a Guardian in our line for even longer._

But Alessandra was not a Guardian. Björn had said so himself, yet, Björn and Alessandra both referred to her as though she was one. Perhaps the title meant something more? They must have anticipated her becoming one then. However, if she needs a Keeper to become a Guardian, to take the Vows, then why has she not found one?

 _No Elemental can become a Guardian without having a Keeper first..._

 _Alessandra has never found a Keeper..._

Björn had mentioned, quite unwillingly, that without a Keeper she would be left unprotected and vulnerable to darkness. This placed the Ellcrys in an even more precarious position if it had called for the Pygmy specifically. The Ellcrys had chosen to place its trust in a powerful Elemental, a Pygmy, who has no Keeper and by connection is not a Guardian, which leaves itself and the woman open to Dagda Mor and his dark magic.

"What a mess." Allanon growled out lowly and opened his eyes. He ran a gloved hand over his mouth and sighed his frustrations away. He felt something poke him beneath his robe and placed a hand over the flower that rest against his chest.

 _My people revere her, venerate her almost as though she were an otherworldly being..._

Björn's voice returned, softer and more meaningful this time. Allanon let his hand rest against the flower beneath his robe.

 _That flower is only a fraction of what she is capable of..._

 _She always said that energy can never be created nor destroyed... only altered..._

 _The way_ _ **she**_ _can alter it though... it's both remarkable and terrifying..._

 _What else was this woman capable of? –_ The Druid thought as his mind ventured into the memory of the dark corners in Alessandra's mind. He hadn't been able to see anything in them. She had made sure of that. Was she hiding something there? Something dark, nefarious? Was the flower not the first thing she had –

His hand fell from his robe as he felt a sudden disruption in the air. He heard a series of small noises coming from his makeshift quarters Went had given to him. His gaze trailed the stone of the floor in the Sanctuary to the visage of a woman standing in the doorway. Her blue orbs were vibrant and demanding of him as they held his calm, introspective browns. Her matted hair was thrown over her left shoulder and resembled a dirtied cord of rope. Her shirt was dirty and ripped, pants in a similar state. Her sandaled feet were caked in dust, the straps holding them on at her calves frayed and snapped.

"How long have I slept?" Her voice was rough, raw as though she had swallowed jagged rocks. She swallowed hard and swayed as she stood there, back and forth on her heels. Allanon stood up and walked closer with slight concern creasing his brow. That was not all though. His thoughts had made him cautious of her.

"Not nearly long enough. A few hours at most." He answered her, voice gentle. Alessandra closed her eyes as she released a heavy, peaceful sigh. Her limbs ached, her chest burned, her head seared. To Allanon, this suddenly did not look like a being of nefarious intentions. Simply a woman, broken and exhausted from duty, having trouble keeping herself on her own two feet.

"It feels like I slept for a lifetime." She gave a small forced smile and swallowed hard again. Allanon could see her fatigue in the way she moved, the way she spoke, the way she drew breath. He had assumed she would be out until the evening, possibly even the next day. Yet, here she was standing before him and conversing with a somewhat clear mind.

"My brother," Alessandra opened her eyes again and looked up into his, "I expected him to be here when I awoke."

"He came to check on you early this morning." Allanon replied and remembered the message Björn had entrusted him with. Her eyes rose higher and moved to the sky, examining the light.

"This morning...? How long was I under exactly?" Her voice grew stronger as the gears in her mind worked harder. She was confused. Surely the time had not flown by so quickly. "It must have been only an hour I spoke with the Ellcrys."

"You were inside the Ellcrys for nearly fourteen hours. Time flows differently inside then outside the tree." Allanon replied, eyebrows knitting together as he saw confusion flash over her face. "Do you not remember anything?"

"Not particularly. No. It's all like waking from a dream. It's hazy and jumbled." She admitted sheepishly and looked back to him, waiting for a full explanation. An idea popped into her head abruptly as she examined his attire and features. "Allanon, were you here the whole night? Did you not retire?"

"I stayed in the Sanctuary the whole night while you conversed with the Ellcrys." His answer surprised her more than she expected it to. She had believed him, of course, when he had said that she would not be alone, but she certainly had not expected him to spend his entire night watching over her. He should have slept, eaten or something. He must have more important things to do, other people he needed to plan with on what next to do. Dagda Mor was coming and he needed to defend the Four Lands from the dark elf.

"I appreciate that. Thank you." She breathed out, eyebrows knitting together in uncertainty of how to act. He truly, faithfully, had kept his word and stayed in his spot on the stairs with her. Her features softened, a warmth spreading through her at the idea that she really could trust him; a Druid and a human. Her broken lips curled upwards in a smile. "Truly, Allanon. Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me. You returned early this morning before the sun had risen too high." Allanon watched as her eyes darted away and towards the floor, trying to search her memories for confirmation. He clasped his hands before him and leaned back ever so slightly so he could observe her face, hoping to earn her gaze once more. Her eyebrows knitted together more firmly, eyes blinking rapidly as her mind worked. "How about you tell me what you **do** remember."

She nodded her head at him and moved passed him to sit on the stone stairs. Her movements were clumsy and he took her left arm, aiding her down onto her chosen seat. She smiled her thanks to him again and then stretched her legs out long, kicking off the torn sandals. She looked up at the sky, blue with small wisps of white clouds and the bright, warm sun.

"I remember running from the palace into the gardens because of the overwhelming emotions the Ellcrys was forcing on me. I... remember you walking with me through the woods to get here." She began as she struggled to recall her actions and movements the previous day. Allanon clasped his gloved hands before him, watching her in silent observation. She closed her eyes, sun falling onto her face. She took a deep breath and Allanon could hear a rattle in her chest, see her jerk at pain the breath caused.

 _Broken rib. –_ He assumed, watching as she reached her right arm to her left side to cradle the broken bone.

"I remember," she started again and lowered her gaze from the sky and shaking her head of matted hair, "examining the tree. Feeling all that pain and illness radiating from it. I knelt at the base of the tree, talked with you and then–"

She stopped, staring out blankly with wide unemotional eyes. Her flesh drained of her warm peach color and turned paler than fresh snow. Allanon watched tears gather at the corner of her eyes.

"What did she show you?" He prodded gently, already knowing the answer though.

"Exactly what I knew she would. What I feared she would." She breathed out hoarsely, drawing her knees to her and looked up at him. Tears trailed down her cheeks, leaving clean skin in their wake, but she did not stutter or sob. Alessandra took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. She blinked a few new tears away, turning her head to the left to stare at the ferns growing at the base of the Ellcrys.

"Remember, futures are fluid, Alessandra. The one you saw is only a potential; one of thousands." He moved closer and knelt before her at the stairs. He reached out a solid, gloved hand and rested it upon her shoulder for support. The weight it provided was both a comfort and a sentence. More tears began to form in her eyes, blurring her vision, and diffusing the vibrant blue color throughout to make them appear as though pools that matched the sea.

"You don't know what I saw." Her face grew red as she fought back the sadness, tried to keep herself properly before him. His hand on her shoulder squeezed to comfort, strengthen.

"Then tell me, Alessandra." His voice was firm, demanding, but also rich with warmth. She could not deny that warmth what they desired. Her words spilled forth like rushing white waters, threatening to claim any life in their path.

"I saw my world, **this** world, in ruin, Druid. The air and the ground were toxic and acrid, reeking of decay and blood and desperation. My people, all people of the Four Lands, were gone and nothing left but their bones to collect dust." She began to crumple as the overwhelming sadness tried to claim her heart and drag her under. Allanon remembered her warning him of this the day before in the woods.

 _The overwhelming sadness... I would succumb to it all. I would have allowed myself to fall into a pit of despair that I may never have crawled back out from._

That was the last thing anyone needed from her. Allanon gave her shoulder a gentle shake, hoping the movement would either break her from her despair or cause her rib to burn with pain, releasing her that way. Neither seemed to work.

"It was just me. Just me." Her voice rose an octave as her breath came in sharp, hurried wisps. "I was all alone in the wake of the destruction; a desolate earth where nothing could grow, where nothing could live. I saw my village. Everyone was bone, their flesh long since decayed from them."

Allanon saw her succumbing to her fear, her sorrow. Somewhere deep inside of himself he felt the urge to pull her to him. It was a gentle push at the back of his mind, a suggestion from some deeper part of him; the human part of him. As much as he wanted to forego it, he could not resist and found himself pulling her into him. He cradled her head to his shoulder with one hand while the other wrapped around her back. Her arms rested against his chest as she turned her cheek flat against his leather armor breast plate and nestled her head beneath his chin.

"It was awful, Allanon...!" She cried as she released all the emotion that had built up within her from her own woes and those from the Ellcrys. Allanon pulled her tighter to him as a sense that this was what she needed befell him. His eyes rose to the Ellcrys, a spark of irritation growing inside of him at the sapient being.

 _I asked you to be gentle. –_ he thought, feeling Alessandra's body shake in his arms. For anyone, speaking to the Ellcrys alone was a struggling feat that left most silent and in a state of emotional distress. An Elemental, _any_ Elemental whether Pygmy, Undine, Sylph, or Salamander, would experience it twofold. They were naturally more sensitive that way. Alessandra's being a Pygmy, a daughter of the earth, made the connection with the sapient tree an even more dubious experience.

"They were all gone." Alessandra cried softly against his chest. She wanted to restrain herself, but she could not. It was all too much; too much pain, too much sadness, too much reality of what may come. "I was all alone."

"You weren't." Allanon's voice was calm, even toned. "I told you before going in that you were not alone. I was out here and the Ellcrys was in there with you, experiencing that future alongside you."

"She wasn't experiencing it. She created it." Alessandra shook her head at his words. "Everything was dead. My friends, my family. All gone."

"It was a test, Alessandra." Allanon tired to explain, sensing she was becoming angry with the Ellcrys. Her eyes stared incredulously out at the roots of the tree she could see. Allanon's voice was deep and firm, demanding that she understand. "The Ellcrys tested your commitment to your duties. She created that future to see how you would react under stress, under pain and fear while she used you to channel energy into herself so she could heal."

"She's a mean tree." Alessandra's voice had gone soft, pathetic like a small child who moped. Allanon could not resist the laugh that escaped him and it made her smile. She discovered that she rather enjoyed the sound of his deep, rumbling laughter.

"Most great beings of power are callous. They have to be in order to be objective." He resigned and loosened his hold on her. She sat back with tear stained cheeks and red eyes. "Not everything died though."

"What are you talking about, Druid?" Alessandra shook her head as her mind struggled to make sense of his words.

"You came back with life. Life you created from nothing." Allanon's voice rumbled deep in his chest as his warm, moist breath coursed over her face. Alessandra shook her head, eyes closed tightly as she tried to rip away the memory of the scene in her head. It was burned in her eyes, a scene on replay, warning her of her future. Allanon looked her dead in her reddened eyes as he fell back into seriousness again.

Why couldn't he just hold her again and tell her that the future was ever changing, that the nightmare she had seen would never come true? Why couldn't he just lie to her, even for a little while longer? Why couldn't anyone just _lie_ to her to make it all easier?

Allanon reached into his robes. His hand gripped the flower tightly and pulled it forth. Alessandra's eyes grew wide as her face fell. He held the flower between them, her eyes locked on its pink and white petals.

"You brought this from one plane of existence, from your conversation with the Ellcrys, into our world." Allanon continued, seeing that she desperately needed comfort. Comfort he could not give her. He wished now that her brother had waited with him for her to awaken. Björn would know exactly what to do, what to say. Instead she had Allanon at the moment and he had always been horrible at this. He did not know how to comfort people. Least of all women.

"I remember that flower." Alessandra breathed out once the recollection had struck her. She felt herself relinquishing a fact she had always known, had always feared would get loose. She straightened herself. "Stargazer lily."

The flower had not yet begun to wilt. Instead, it appeared as though having just been picked from a nearby garden; healthy, vibrant, and very much alive.

"These lilies are extinct. Yet, you brought one back to life and you brought it here with you when you returned from speaking with the Ellcrys." Allanon watched her features, her eyes, sensing that she was throwing up barriers against him. She stared down at the flower and reached out a tentative hand, fingers brushing the petals gently as though afraid she may ruin it. Her face twisted in painful shame as she owned up to what she had done.

"It came from my tears." Her voice was a whisper as she wrapped her fingers around the thick stem of the flower. Allanon let her pull it from his hand and waited for her to continue. She stared down at the coloring, the rich pink outer petals with speckles of dark burgundy on the white center.

"Explain." Allanon was encountering something he had never learned or faced before. A being who could create life from only her tears? Was this why the Druids kept their distance from the Elementals? Was their magic truly this strong?

"I had given up. I was broken and wanted to just disappear like everyone else had. I felt the earth move beneath my hands and then the stargazer appeared. It grew from soil that was decrepit and lacking of all nutrients needed to do such a thing. But then there it was. Alive and healthy."

Her lips curled into a small, tender smile as she contemplated the stargazer. The flower brought her a happiness she needed in that moment, a relief of sorts. It was as though it promised her things could be different, that she could change it all.

"You created life." Allanon breathed out, disbelieving what he was hearing, what he knew to be true. "How can this be?"

"I don't know. I don't understand it myself." Alessandra admitted and met his stare. She could see he was confused. She was as well. But there was something else there, something deeper. She wished she could push into his mind the way he could do to others, but that was not a skill she had mastered. "What are you thinking?"

"Allanon!" A shout rang out from the back of the Sanctuary and Alessandra was quick to hid the flower beneath her shirt. Heavy footsteps, metal and armored. A cohort of elven guards trailed behind King Eventine. "Ah! Here you are."

"Your majesty." Allanon greeted and stood up straight. Alessandra, cast her eyes away from the elven king and stared at the stone floor. She didn't like being interrupted. Especially not by an elf and certainly not when she finally had someone of consequence to speak with, someone she felt she might be able to trust after so many centuries of feeling alone.

"Lady Alessandra." King Eventine greeted as she stood up from the stairs. Her face twisted in pain at the broken rib in her side. She turned to him and gave a small bow the best she could.

"Elessedil." She greeted in return and stood up straight again.

"Would you like me to send a healer?" The King's gaze held concern that was barbed by something resentful. It infuriated Alessandra, Allanon could see. The Druid's gaze moved from the woman to the King in emotionless bewilderment.

"No, I'm sure I can manage." Alessandra tried to keep the biting tone from her voice.

"I have no doubt you can." King Eventine smiled at her, his old eyes churning with a double meaning. "I have every confidence in you."

"Your confidence means everything, great king." Alessandra could not help to spit the words. The King's hands went behind his back and allowed his swollen belly to protrude forward. He reminded Alessandra of a bloated old bull that spent too much time lazing about drinking saltwater.

"What is this?" Allanon finally spoke up, aggravated by the way the two before him spoke in harsh, cryptic messages. King Eventine turned to look at the Druid with a smile while Alessandra's eyes never left the king.

"Just familiar banter. Nothing more, Allanon." King Eventine answered with a sense of finality in his tone. Alessandra snorted softly in defiance and then shook her head, rolling her piercing blue eyes. King Eventine turned his gaze on her, his smile never wavering. "Would you excuse us, my dear? Perhaps you can venture to the springs. They have healing properties that you might find useful."

Alessandra said nothing, biting her tongue so hard she swore she tasted blood. She did not hate the king, but he seriously peeved her in every action, every word, every glance. Their feud was one of inconsequence that spanned back further than either cared to admit.

"Go to the springs, Alessandra." Allanon spoke suddenly and caught her off-guard by his command. Who was he to order her to do anything? Her eyes found his, confusion and annoyance in her stare. All she could see was weariness staring back at her and it snuffed out any fire that had been growing within her. "On the bedside table, your brother left you a note and a satchel of items. We will speak later."

Alessandra said nothing and turned to walk away, heading back into the Ellcrys' caretaker's quarters. She heard the voices of Allanon and Eventine filter away, their footsteps echoing across the stone floor. She walked to the small round table and picked up the note, eyes flowing over it hurriedly:

 _Aria and I will be in the Library most of the day as I have work that needs to be completed. Eat what I have packed and then go to the springs to the north of Arborlon. I have drawn a map on the back of this note for you. In the satchel are some items that may help your wounds as well as a fresh pair of clothes. Meet us later when you are able. Aria is horribly worried about you. As am I._

– _Björn_

Alessandra reached into her shirt and pulled out the flower, setting it on the table, She then opened the satchel and pulled out the fruit her brother had packed. It was an odd purple-pink color with a tough exterior and knobs of tougher flesh sporadically placed about it. If she didn't know any better she would have said it was a dragon's egg he had given her to eat. Alessandra tried to dig her nails into the tough outer flesh of the fruit, but could not pierce it. She went to use her teeth, but the awful thing radiated a stench she could not bear to smell.

Her eyes darted around the dimly lit room in search of a knife or other instrument she might be able to use. Her eyes passed over the side table by the bed and did a double take, something catching her eye. She padded her pockets suddenly, feeling something were missing and then approached the side table. Her stones. They sat before the candle, the flame's light casting shadows and making them seem to glow. She picked them up, and held them tightly in her palm as she closed her eyes. There was no power left in them, she realized, and shoved them into her pocket once again.

Her gaze moved to the right and she spotted another satchel; deep brown-black in color. It sat sideways over a chair behind the table. Most likely Allanon's, she guessed, and walked to it. She dove her hand inside and found a short bladed dagger with a bone handle.

 _An odd piece for a Druid to carry. –_ she observed, turning the dagger over in her hand. Without a second thought she began to carve the fruit up, the flesh easily peeling back with the edge of the dagger. It was her luck that the fruit inside was sweet, syrupy and aromatic. She sat down in a seat at the table, eating the fruit and examining the dagger again. There were odd marking on the bone, etched as though by careful hand. She set the dagger back on the table and then reached for the satchel, pulling it off the chair and setting it down before her. She was too old to care about propriety or being caught rooting around someone else's belongings. She was also too tired to simply care.

"What does a Druid carry with him?" She questioned lightly, sighing as she went in for another bite of the fruit. She reached her hand inside the satchel and found a smudge stick of what looked like lavender, a salve in a glass jar, and a book. She pulled the book our and pushed the satchel away, looking over the cover. It was strange; leather bound with metal clasps and mechanisms on it. She could make out the design of the sun and a crescent moon on the bottom of the cover, but the four circular dials in each corner puzzled her. In the center and above the sun and moon were two triangles; the left was inverted while the right was upright.

She set the fruit down, rubbed her sticky fingers over a cleaner piece of her mangled shirt and then opened the book. She recognized the symbols instantly as Ancient Druid, scrawled across the pages in neatly formatted fashion. She could make out a few passages. The speech was hard and jumbled in a way that the conjunctions as well as syntax made it difficult to comprehend. It left her scratching her head and growing tiresome.

"Why can they never be frank?" She grumbled, flipping through the pages and scanning the words, the images. She halted suddenly on a page that had a rather interesting tree drawn on it. She looked to the left page, trying to decipher the Ancient Druid written there, gaze befalling the image of the tree again. "It's talking about the Ellcrys."

Her words were soft and she found herself intrigued, reading over the Ancient Druid again and again to understand.

 _When the Ellcrys comes to the end of its days, a flower will bloom that will bear a single seed. A member of the Chosen must carry that seed to Safehold and immerse it in the Bloodfire. Only then can the seed be returned to the Sanctuary and the Ellcrys be reborn._

"But," she breathed out and sat back in her seat as her mind wandered to Allanon's words the previous day in the woods, "the Chosen are all dead, aren't they?"

"No. Not all of them." A voice, deep but childish came from the doorway of the short hall. Alessandra, caught unaware, startled and looked up to be greeted with a young man. He had dirty blonde hair with blue-green eyes that cast a worried stare at her. "Hi. I'm Wil."

Alessandra said nothing and watched him carefully as he nodded his head, lips forming a thin line in uncomfortable silence.

"I left you the note by the river." He tried again, hands that were gloved yet fingerless, coming up as though to simulate writing a note. "I convinced Allanon to bring Aria here."

 _Oh, he's_ _ **that**_ _boy._ – Alessandra thought, loosening her muscles and relaxing once more.

"Hello Wil. I am Alessandra." She greeted and smiled at him, picking up the fruit she had tossed aside and taking a bite. Wil returned her smile sheepishly and moved further into the room.

"Glad to see you up and alive." Wil ventured a joke, his voice revealing his trepidation.

"Glad to be up and alive." Alessandra replied and watched him through heavy eyes. Wil's attention fell to the book that lay open before her. He licked his lips, eyes telling her that he wanted to say something, but apprehension keeping his lips shut. "Do you need this?"

She closed the book and picked it up, holding it out to him.

"Yes, actually. Thank you." Wil released in a single breath, reaching out to take it. Alessandra pulled it back suddenly, smirk crawling onto her lips as she found herself curious.

"What is it?" She questioned, holding the book to her chest as though protectively. "Why does a half elf need it?"

"This half elf," the term burned Wil's tongue, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Alessandra took note of this, eyes narrowing at him, "was told to fetch it for its owner."

"Allanon." Alessandra confirmed. Wil stood straighter and took his hand back. "What is it called?"

"It's the Codex of Paranor." Wil resigned and saw the woman's expression change. Her eyes drifted downwards to the book in her arm and she set it back on the table.

"But I thought..." she breathed out as surprise struck her. She ran a hand over the cover of the book. "I thought all the magical tomes kept at Paranor were gone."

"This one was sealed nice and tight behind a wall at Druid's Keep. Allanon had to use magic to get to it. Burned his hand in the process." Wil explained, seeing the emotion cross over the woman's face. He would never truly understand, he resigned. Magic, demons, the Forbidding. It was all a bunch of nonsense that he hadn't believed in until a few days ago. Now, it was undeniably true. He had seen it first hand with his own eyes.

"Magic always comes at a price." Alessandra's words were dark as she stared down at the Codex. She had seen many inflicted by the price of magic. It was never equal payment either, but it was always lingering. She slid the book to her left, closer to Wil and looked up at him with a stern determination. "Remember that, Wil."

 _That's exactly what Allanon told me_. – Wil thought to himself and approached the table, taking hold of the book. Alessandra stood from the table and took hold of the satchel her brother had left her, slinging it across her body. She picked up the flower in one hand and met Wil's stare again, gaze softening.

"Thank you," her voice was gentle, smile warm and eyes bright, "for keeping watch over Aria. She means more to me than you realize."

"You're welcome." Wil nodded his head once, feeling the tension in the room dissipate. She gave him a lingering smile and then headed to the doorway.

"If you would, Wil," Alessandra stopped and turned around to face him once more and then waked closer to him, "tell Allanon to meet me later at my quarters. We have much we need to discuss and little time to do it in."

"I will." Wil agreed, raising the book he held in his hand as though assuring her. She smiled again and then held out the flower for the boy to take.

"Please give this to him also." Her eyes held Wil's gaze for a long moment. He sensed something was off, something was mischievous about the way she had said it and handed him a flower. He took the flower anyway, looking it over quickly. He had never seen a flower like this before. However, before he could question what kind it was, Alessandra was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you swingrlm for your continued patronage and entertaining comments :)

* * *

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~The Northern Woods of Arborlon~

~Late Afternoon~

Alessandra had departed from Wil through the Sanctuary, leaving a wide birth between her and the Ellcrys. She had paused only a moment to stare up at it, condemnation and understanding filling her in one fell swoop. Of course, she had not liked what she had been shown or how the tree had manipulated her. She had expected nothing less. However, she also realized that the Ellcrys had done what it felt it must in order to get her to come, get her to understand, to see what the great tree already knew. The Ellcrys needed her and Alessandra knew, deep down, that she had always been running away from that future, the responsibility, her fears. Centuries of running and now she was finally spent, responsibility finally catching up to her and holding on firmly.

Alessandra's haste to leave the Sanctuary had stemmed more from her suspicion that Wil had wanted to question her over the existence of the flower than the overbearing presence of the tree. The look in his eyes as he gazed down at the specimen had been confirmation and she simply couldn't handle that now. Not **now**. Not after so much had taken place in such a short span of time. Not when she needed to gather her courage and do what was expected of her.

She turned away from the Ellcrys, feeling the great tree tugging on her to stay and stepped out into the bright light of the late afternoon. The trees invited her deeper into their wood with the sound of their gentle breathing that rustled their leaves. The birds called in melodic song as they passed by overhead, landing in their nests that sat nestled safely in the trees. The air smelled sweetly of fresh grass and jasmine, rich soil and life.

Alessandra pulled the note from her pant pocket, taking notice to how ruin her clothing was with tears and dirt. She turned the note over and saw a poorly scrawled map her brother had fashioned in heavy ink. The map led her through the woods, north of Arborlon to a secluded area where multiple springs sat nestled in a grove. A light source poured out from each one from elven crystals deep within them, giving the springs an ethereal glow. The heat from them rose high and steamed the air above them, the breeze carrying it to her face.

She suddenly felt the weight of how dirty she was sink in. She was caked in dust and dirt with matted hair that hung as heavy as stone on her left shoulder. She looked herself over from feet to hands and saw she had odd colorations on her hands where she knew cuts and scrapes sat beneath. She touched the coloration with her other hand, feeling it moist and paste-like.

 _Salve? –_ she questioned as she brought one of her hands up to her face and sniffed. It was quite aromatic and appeared to be well-made with honey, yarrow, rosemary, and something like almond oil. She bent closer to the spring and gently ran a handful of hot water over her hand, watching the salve dissolve away. No longer were there cuts or scrapes, but freshly healed skin. She ran her fingers tenderly over her left hand, messaging the sore tendons and muscles.

Alessandra undressed carefully as to not aggravate her broken rib and wounds. She did not quite believe how marred, broken and chapped her skin was from the harsh wind inside the vision the Ellcrys had shown her. She had known it had felt too real, but she had not expected injuries to follow her back into reality. Her body, even though having been left behind in the Sanctuary, had still been firmly tethered to her mind that wandered the desolate future that was her home.

She slid into the nearest spring, testing the heat of the water with her foot first. The temperature burned her marred flesh and aggravated her ribs, but after a moment it turned into a luxury that soothed her. She turned around at pulled the small satchel her brother had given her closer. She found a small container of a thickened milky substance, scented with honey, and rubbed it over her face and body until it lathered. The dirt and dust easily ran off of her, leaving her skin broken and wounded, but cleaned and softened.

She pulled the string that held her hair in a matted French braid out and dipped her head back. She let the hot water attack the dirt and grim enough so that she could separate the strands. She looked inside the satchel again and found rose oil that she worked through her hair, the sweet fragrance relaxing her senses. She took a deep breath and slipped under the waters, crown of her head disappearing beneath.

She hovered there beneath the surface with her eyes closed, arms and legs bobbing limply. Small bubbles drew from her nostrils and tickled her face as they rose to the surface. It was so peaceful under the water. So quiet... but the silence did not last long. A voice crept into her mind, soft and haunting. It called to her; to remember, to be aware.

 _The world's fate depends on the last Guardian and the last Druid._

 _You still have time. You both still have time._

The soft, ethereal voice of the Ellcrys filled her head and drowned out the sound of her own thoughts. Alessandra let her mind wander, let the words of the Ellcrys fill her as the healing waters surrounded her and coaxed her into a sense of calm. Her hair, now warmed and the mud caked within it dissolved, flowed freely about her like golden rays of light.

 _You need to heal yourself before you can heal another._

 _You need to trust before you will be trusted._

Alessandra focused on the voice for a long moment, the words repeating like a mantra in her head. How was she supposed to heal herself? And what was she meant to heal? There were so many wounds; physical, mental, emotional. She was a patchwork of centuries worth of pain, wounds, illness, and sadness.

Was Allanon the other she was meant to heal? He must be. Who else could the great tree have meant? Björn? Someone else entirely? Maybe more than one needed her to heal them, but heal them how? She had tried to heal her brother many times before, but he was so closed to her. He was a broken man who harbored pain deep within him; a hollowing sadness. And Allanon... she didn't know anything about the Druid. Was he ill? Did he have physical pain? Or was he like her brother in that there was a deeper suffering, something broken deep within that manifested in other ways?

The Ellcrys had been too vague. There were too many unknown variables. Alessandra knew that the Ellcrys could not respond to her now, but she desperately called out to the tree for an answer to her questions. She was greeted with silence.

It must be Allanon. The Druid had said something similar to her as the Ellcrys had. Right before she had gone under the enchantment of the tree.

 _ **We need to trust each other if we are going have any chance of being successful.**_

Allanon's words reverberated in her head. She questioned if he knew already, knew what the Ellcrys had spoken to her about, knew what it had wanted from her. He was a mind reader, but was he truly all knowing? The Ellcrys did not believe so. She had none verbally told Alessandra that she would need to be the messenger, to tell him about her Keeper, about her Vows, about her guardianship.

 _You are two sides of a balance, counterweights._

 _Both of you shall save us._

 _You will save the earth and he shall save our souls._

 _Together as one; as equals._

Ellcrys' voice returned again, overpowering Allanon's that insisted they trust each other. The Ellcrys' tone seemed hauntingly desperate as though her words needed to reach their target; to reach Alessandra.

 _Take your vows._

 _Become a Guardian._

 _We still have time._

The Ellcrys' words were stronger and more severe unlike how the great tree had spoken to her before. They seemed to be in worry and horribly erratic. Something had changed though, one word. Before in the desolation of the Four Lands, the Ellcrys had said _she_ still had time. Now, the Ellcrys enforced that _we_ still have time. She meant herself and Alessandra, as one, still had time.

 _Time for what? –_ Alessandra questioned, but again was met with no answer. However, she sensed something new; something **wrong**. She had the feeling that something was moving through her veins like a dribble of ice cold water over skin; a pressure in the back of her mind. She was somehow still connected to the Ellcrys, tethered in a way that bonded them together. It had happened when she had touched the sapient tree. The Ellcrys had connected them on a deeper level and now Alessandra could sense, even hear, the Ellcrys without being near or touching it. Right now, she was in distress and Alessandra could not do anything to drown her out of her mind.

 _The Chosen must go to Safehold._

 _Safehold._

 _Bloodfire._

 _The Bloodfire._

 _The seed must soak in the Bloodfire._

 _Safehold? Bloodfire? Seed?_ – Alessandra questioned, feeling the emotions of the Ellcrys rush her at once. It was a sensation she was not used to and did not want to get used to. It felt wrong and right at the same time, a sensation of pressure and freedom, balances at odds with one another.

The water around her seemed to sense the skirmish within her between herself and the Ellcrys. The fear and the pain resurged within her from the day before, making her head spin. A darkness seemed to feed off of them both like a leech on blood, growing and metastasizing. The water grew hotter, boiling at the surface as more steam rose high into the sky. Still, Alessandra hovered beneath, unable to escape the hold the Ellcrys had on her mind.

 _He is skilled and powerful._

 _He will understand._

 _He is different._

 _Take your Vows._

The Ellcrys' words were all over the place; sporadic and ununiformed. At one point on something in the past and at another in the present the next. Alessandra found herself fighting against the opposing words, the past and present arguing within her as she tried to break the bond the Ellcrys had forced on her. The tree was still feeding off of her, ever so gently, but enough to keep a hold on Alessandra; on the Pygmy who could channel pure energy.

 _The Chosen._

 _Amberle._

 _Safehold._

 _Bloodfire._

 _The Seed._

 _Rebirth._

The water burned Alessandra's eyes as she opened them, feeling the mania the Ellcrys was spiraling into. She looked up towards the surface, the sight of sky and trees blurred from heat and steam. She outstretched her arms to swim up, to rid herself of the madness, but found she was stuck. She tried again, but the harder she fought against the waters the more it seemed to pull her down deeper into the spring. Her arms flung up and her legs kicked against the water, but still she sank deeper.

 _Take your vows._

 _You still have time._

 _You both still have time._

 _Take your vows._

 _Take your vows._

 _You must save the earth._

The Ellcrys called to her again and again and again, each time becoming more frenzied as though she and Alessandra were on fire. The tree ordered Alessandra to take her vows, to become a Guardian, to make real her destiny... to save them and her. The Ellcrys was the only thing standing in the way of Dagda Mor, the only defense and Alessandra was the her failsafe. She was the last being, the only being, who could keep the Ellcrys alive long enough for something. For what...?

Alessandra felt her body going limp under the weight of the water, muscles too sore and too limp to aid her. The Ellcrys continued, selecting only a few words to repeat as though a mantra for Alessandra to remember.

 _Amberle._

 _Seed._

 _Safehold._

 _Bloodfire._

 _Rebirth._

The pressure was too much for her, for Alessandra. The responsibility was too much. It always had been. The connection, the tethering, was not what she had expected and certainly not what she had signed up for. She didn't want any of it. She never had. Not even as a child. Not even if it was such a great honor. But she knew, in this instant, that she could no longer shy away. She could no longer run.

Everything weighed on Alessandra and drug her down deeper into the spring, threatening to be her end. Alessandra felt her lungs screaming for air and opened her mouth. She screamed against the force that clung to her, the sadness that filled her heart. She screamed until there was no air left in her lungs. Her screams fell on deaf ears in the aquatic tomb and only the last of the air from her lungs seeped up to the surface.

Alessandra's vison blurred as she hung limp in the water, bobbing gently up and down with arms and legs out. Her hair, golden and glimmering in the soft glow of the crystals at the bottom of the spring, spread out around her like threads from a royal tapestry. Her eyes held open, peering at nothing ahead of her.

 _ **We need to trust each other, Alessandra.**_

A voice... rich, deep, commanding called out to her and drown out the Ellcrys. It washed away the fears and pain that the sapient tree brought with it.

 _ **Only we alone understand.**_

 _ **I cannot help if you do not speak to me.**_

It was Allanon. His voice was warm and tender and comforting to her as she felt herself slipping away. She felt her body's urge to inhale, to suck in water in place of air, and she struggled to remain vigilant against it for as long as she could.

 _ **Something has you.**_

Allanon's voice surrounded her like a summer's breeze. It promised to her the future; a different future than the one she has been living in fear of. It also promised her much more. Freedom, happiness... life.

 _ **You are not alone.**_

No. She **was** alone. She was in a spring being forced to drown in boiling waters and she was all alone. No one was going to save her and she was not going to save anyone. This was the end. She had failed. She had failed _them_ ; all of them. Her brother... Aria... her people... Allanon... the Ellcrys... Her time was spent. No oxygen was getting through her blood or lungs. She was drowning.

 _ **Do not fall asleep.**_

Was she falling asleep? It felt like it. She was warm all over and tired. So tired. Her body went numb as the waters embraced her, swaying her back and forth in a lullaby.

 _ **Do not fall asleep.**_

But she wanted to fall asleep. It seemed peaceful and inviting. Unlike the way the rest of her life had been. Running, hiding, struggling. She wanted peace.

 _ **Alessandra.**_

Allanon's voice returned to her, muffled and distant. It consoled her, cradling her like arms that swore to protect her and carry her away. She relaxed into it, giving herself up to it, and closed her eyes.

 _ **Wake up.**_

The waters around her bobbed and jostled as something disturbed them. Her body swayed as she felt her resolve cave, lungs desperately needing oxygen. She inhaled and felt the searing burn of the water as it rushed into her chest.

 _ **Do. Not. Fall. Asleep.**_

 _ **Open your eyes.**_

Alessandra felt a tug on her outstretched arms at her wrists. She was drug forwards until she felt something wrap around her waist, holding her firmly to a solid object. Something pulled her upwards towards the surface of the spring. Sparkling light raced towards her at a speed she could not comprehend and then she felt cool air slap against her face.

"Dammit woman, breathe!" A voice shouted, heated and concerned as she felt the arm around her waist tighten. She felt pressure on her lungs, her diaphragm, her belly as the hold around her loosened and then tightened in an effort to expel the water from her lungs. The arm pushed on her abdomen in sharp, steady motions. She abruptly gasped for breath, the cool air of the evening rushing into her burning lungs. Her eyes also burned and she found she was exhausted. Her eyes felt heavy and she slowly began to close them.

"Do not fall asleep!" The voice demanded of her, reminding her what she needed to do to live. "Breathe Alessandra!"

The arm around her middle squeezed again and she felt the rush of water spring up from her lungs. She coughed suddenly again, liquid spurting passed her lips in a gush. Her eyes burst open as her arms flung forward over the spring's edge. Her hands gripped the soft grass as she continued to cough, held protectively above the water in someone's strong arms.

Whoever they were, they moved to the spring's edge and climbed up onto the grass. Her upper arms were suddenly gripped tightly and she was then pulled out of the water. She was tugged along until her feet were clear of the spring and her body laid against the cool, soft grass. Her left ribs seared in utter agony as a hand, firm and strong, slapped her bare back to expel the last of the water from her lungs.

Something smooth and cool fell over her naked bodice, covering it from unwanted eyes. She coughed again, the last of the water expelling from her lungs as she gripped the grass beneath her tightly. When she opened her eyes finally, everything was blurred. She did notice though that the sun was gone from the sky and darkness had taken its place. Stars, small and fuzzy, stared down at her in disapproval, questioning her; her sanity, her place in the world, everything about her.

"Reckless fool." A warm, rich voice growled from her right and she turned her head to look. She saw the blurred visage of a tall, muscled man in dark brown robes with heated brown eyes; Allanon. He knelt beside her and furrowed his brow in condemnation. He raised her right arm as though to show her something. "You have burned yourself on top of everything else you've endured. I knew you needed more rest."

He let her arm go and she pulled it to her, staring down at the flesh. She blinked, feeling her eyes burn from the boiling waters and looked up at him again.

"But I..." Alessandra began and tried to recollect everything. Hadn't she just gotten into the spring? But the night sky betrayed that logic as it sat above her. She must have been in the waters for several hours. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, her throat raw. "I couldn't get out. Something drug me under."

Allanon said nothing and watched her for a long moment, considering her words. He had believed earlier that he had sensed a dark presence, but he suspected it was coming from the Ellcrys. Perhaps something that ailed the Ellcrys had latched onto her instead or maybe the Changeling that continued to evade him? He had yet to warn her of that danger lurking the halls of the palace. Things had been moving too fast to catch up it seemed. There were many things he needed to discuss with her, but so many other things kept coming up unexpectedly, keeping them from each other.

Allanon watched as utter confusion crossed over Alessandra's face again. She tried to understand what she had just gone through. The strange force tugging her down, keeping her under the water. The odd feelings from the Ellcrys as though they were her own and at the same time understanding they weren't.

"I think I am still connected to the Ellcrys somehow." She looked up at him again, breathing deeply and then coughing again as some water rattled in her chest.

"Why do you believe that?" He questioned, urging more of an explanation from her. She shook her head and then narrowed her eyes in distant thought.

"She called to me. Spoke to me." She cast her gaze upon him. Allanon wanted to say that this was not possible, that even with as powerful as the Ellcrys was, her power did not range that far or vast. However, there had never been a Pygmy as strong as Alessandra close enough to test the theory before. Perhaps, because Alessandra was from the same earth as the Ellcrys and they were both so strong in similar ways, they shared a special bond that had taken root when they touched. He would not be surprised by it. Not now after everything else.

"I thought it was memory, but then she became frantic." Alessandra continued, breaking the Druid from his train of thought. "I think... I think something was happening with her. She sounded winded as though in battle with something."

"She was testing the last of the Chosen. That must have been why she seemed frantic." Allanon admitted, his mind venturing on events leading up to his arrival at the springs. Alessandra wanted to ask him about the Chosen. Hadn't he told her they were all dead? Instead, something else pressed her.

"Wait, why are you here, Druid?" Her gaze turned on him again as his appearance suddenly surprised her. Had she not instructed Wil to tell the Druid she would meet him later at her room? Hadn't he had business to attend to with the King? Didn't he have more pressing issues to attend to with the last Chosen? Alessandra shook her head at her racing thoughts. "I thought you an Elessedil had important matters to discuss. I didn't expect to see you until much later."

"There **were** matters to discuss and we have discussed them at length, coming to an understanding. I escorted the King back to the Sanctuary with the Chosen and when our business concluded there, I went to your room as you had instructed Wil to tell me." Allanon explained as Alessandra pushed herself up, holding the robe Allanon had tossed over her nude bodice in haste. She ignored his mention of the Chosen, noting it away for a future discussion. Allanon continued, "I did not find you there and began to suspect something had happened."

Alessandra's legs hung out from the end of it, knees bending back to wrap around her right. Her hair, sopping wet, stuck to her face and skin beneath the leather robe. Allanon's gaze went hard, features stern.

"You were lucky someone came looking for you." Allanon finished, voice turning harsh as though scolding her. She deserved to be scolded. She was a fool for heading to the springs alone in her state. She should have had someone go with her. Björn and Aria maybe. At least Aria could have enjoyed the waters herself, never having experienced a spring before, and Björn would be there to watch over them in case. She had just wanted a moment of peace though. A chance to sit and think without disturbance; without the Ellcrys pushing her fear and pain and sadness onto her; without feeling the weight of responsibility sitting on her shoulders.

"You're right... I am lucky someone came by. I'm sorry if I seemed ungrateful for your rescuing me." Alessandra suddenly spoke as she took a deep, rattled breath. She outstretched her burned right arm to Allanon and took his gloved hand, squeezing it. "Thank you for saving me, Allanon."

He seemed not to know what to say at first. He had expected a quip from the spirited, quick-witted Pygmy. Certainly, not an apology. She really had nothing to apologize for. Allanon's displeasure and frustration was misplaced, lashing out at her. She was doing her best in an impossible situation. He understood this was not what she expected; the Ellcrys, being needed and used in such a way that left her thoroughly exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally.

"You're lucky I found you when I had." Allanon's voice grew gentler as he examined how red her eyes were from the boiling water. They must hurt her. Could she really see or was his frame a blurry visage? He also noticed on her neck a patch of burned flesh that resembled the wounds on his hands. "I have more salve in the caretaker's room in the Sanctuary. I will bring it to your room."

"I appreciate it. I was wondering whose skillful work the salve on my hands had come from." Alessandra attempted a smile, lips cracked and burnt. "I should have known it was a Druid."

"Get dressed and I'll help you back to the palace." Allanon held out the satchel her brother had left for her and she took it gratefully with one hand reaching from beneath the robe. Allanon helped her to her feet and turned his back to her, clasping his hands before himself as she opened the satchel and reached in for the clothes that her brother had given her.

"The Ellcrys spoke to you here?" Allanon spoke up and Alessandra could not tell if he was back to business or if he was uncomfortable with a naked woman in his presence.

"Yes. She spoke to me. I think she tethered herself to me when I touched her yesterday. The physical and mental contact allowed her enough freedom in her weakened state to do so." Alessandra admitted and threw the clothes from the satchel onto the ground.

"Tethered? You mean she bonded with you." Allanon shifted where he stood, turning his head down and to the right as his eyes narrowed. He stiffened as he caught the hazy reflection of Alessandra's body in the spring's waters. She had let his robe fall from her bodice, feeling the chill of the night cross over her peachy skin and stood straight with her face tilted towards the light of the moon as though to absorb its energy. She took a deep breath, body rising and falling with the action, as her hair swayed over her back just above her buttocks.

As he felt his eyes scanning over her bareness, he stopped himself abruptly and averted his gaze. He scolded himself for falling prey to earthly pleasures of the flesh. He was a Druid, dammit, but despite having been one for centuries he could not push his male tendencies down far enough. He felt his blood rushing through him and tightened his clasped hands together in an effort to force his human urges to dissipate.

"It's all right, Druid." Alessandra's voice was soft, a whisper on the cool night's breeze. Allanon looked at the water from the right corner of his eyes and saw her visage again. She had turned her head and, despite the whites of her eyes being reddened, the blue was vibrant and piercing as she stared back at him through wet tendrils of golden hair. "You can look. It's merely a body. I am not ashamed."

"Put your clothes on." Allanon growled lowly, sensing she was teasing him. She was. She found she could not help herself. Something deep within her, perhaps at the beck of the Ellcrys, she felt herself opening up to him in ways she never would have expected. She had always been open about sexuality. It wasn't something to be ashamed of in her society and instead embraced. However, the looks many men, gnome, elf and others had given her over the centuries had closed her up to an extent. There was something about the Druid, his shyness perhaps or his stern prudeness, that made her open once again.

"My people are not so reserved about things like sexuality or nudity. Not like humans or elves are." She smiled as she reached down to the grass for the simple brown riding pants her brother had packed for her. She tugged them onto her dampened legs and tied them at the front. She looked over her shoulder at Allanon, seeing his back tense and shoulders firm. He was still very much bothered, but she expected it was not the impropriety of her being naked nor the strictness of his Druid teachings. It was the opposite of that. It was pure natural instinct. Her bare bodice distracted him like any human male.

"My people, the Pygmies I mean specifically, often danced naked around large ritual fires during the solstices and engaged in ceremonial pleasures of the body." She could feel the vexation rolling off of him in waves. What she couldn't see was how tense his jaw had become, eyes shut and gloved hands readying to break fingers. "It is done to bring well-being and prosperity. To honor the fertility of the earth."

She understood her _openness_ was not proper in society outside her own, but he needed to understand her, didn't he? He was going to have to learn about Elemental traditions eventually, wasn't he? Even the most uncomfortable ones. Or maybe she was purposefully trying to dissuade him from accepting the Ellcrys' suggestion of becoming her Keeper. Did he know that's what the tree had planned? Did he suspect?

"Do Druids never engage in pleasures of the flesh?" Alessandra suddenly found herself curious as she pulled the olive colored peasant top over her head. She had never heard of a Druid having children, but that didn't mean they never had any. They lived a life of solitude, but bastards were still possible.

"The only other Druid I ever met engaged in sexual relations. Regularly, with many men from many species." She turned to face his back fully and pulled her damp hair out from beneath the shirt. She reached into the satchel again and pulled out a simple pair of tanned leather sandals, slipping them on. "However, that still doesn't mean you all participate in similar acts. Are pleasures of the flesh frowned upon in your community?"

"Yes... and no. It simply is not priority. We are dedicated to our craft. We leave little time for frivolities such as that. Those who have the time or the need for such things are looked on as not being devoted to the order." Allanon answered her, voice restrained as he struggled to form rational thought. His eyes fell to the right again at the surface of the steaming spring water and saw she was fully dressed.

"Oh. Well... that's very different from my people." Alessandra was actually quite surprised that he had responded honestly. She was also surprised at what his people believed. "We believe intimacy should be embraced and encouraged. Though we are not as depraved as others believe us to be. Most bond themselves together while others seek the comfort of multiple partners."

She watched him, thinking on his words and what she knew of the Druids. She continued to braid her long damp hair over her right shoulder. Her movements became sluggish as the gears in her mind turned slower and slower. The question that sat simmering in her head begged to be asked, but she found she suddenly did not wish to ask it for fear of the answer.

"Allanon?" She breathed out his name gently before she could stop herself. Her eyebrows knitted together in contemplation. She could not ask him if she met his gaze. Allanon found himself calmed enough to face her, seeing the expression crossing her features; sadness. She avoided his gaze still and instead stared at the grass, hands painfully slowly finishing her braid.

"Are Druids allowed love?" Something deep inside her demanded she ask, told her this was what the Ellcrys had been trying to express to her about him. Perhaps, he was broken; a broken heart. She found herself growing more confident and lifted her gaze gently. "Have you loved?"

"As Druids, we have a responsibility to our duty. First and foremost. Love distracts. It is a weakness we cannot afford." He replied almost as reaction, as though this was the desired response of any Druid. He then fell silent, eyes looming on Alessandra as she fell into melancholy over his words. They seemed to upset her in a way he had not expected. He didn't know why, but he wished to take away the sadness his admittance brought her. He shouldn't care, but he found the more he fought against it, the stronger the feeling became.

"I loved a woman many years ago." He spoke again as he moved forward and picked up his robe from the ground, pulling it on. He fixed the sleeves and then stared down at her, eyes firm and strong. "There was no future for us though. I explained that to her."

Her eyes turned upwards to meet his stare. Even while looking like a drowned cat, she was still hauntingly beautiful. Despite his best efforts, he could not deny that he found himself attracted to her. Her soul piercing eyes, gentle and melodic voice, the warmth in her smile. They were a comfort unlike he had ever known before and since she had saved him in the Druid Cave, he found a desire to surround himself with her more often than he should. It was as though she had enchanted him and refused to let him go.

It was wrong. He was a Druid. The last Druid. He needed to keep his resolve, stay strong and finish his work. What he saw offered in her stare, her being, was something he could not afford. He couldn't back then and he certainly couldn't now. Not with Dagda Mor growing stronger and the Ellcrys weakening. They had a duty to uphold.

Alessandra noticed the look in his eyes; longing, understanding, vulnerability. He was opening himself up to her whether willingly or not and about a subject he would rather never have spoken of. Love was hard. Lost love was impossible.

 _ **We need to trust each other, Alessandra.**_

He was giving her the opportunity. He was trusting her with his vulnerability, with a scar that had not truly healed within his heart. It was broken, horribly stuck back together by sense of purpose and duty, but that would not hold forever. It would wane and then he would be crushed by the weight, drug under the crashing waves to drown.

She understood why the Ellcrys put him in her path. She understood why the Ellcrys found him to be her equal. They had the same heart; tattered and broken, stuck back together haphazardly.

Alessandra licked her bottom lip gently and ventured to press onwards, praying to whatever higher power might be listening that she didn't overstep. She wanted to earn his trust and she found that she desired to trust him. If she expected him to be her Keeper, take the Vows with her, she needed to be able to trust him.

"What was her name?" She looked up at him, top of her head only at height with his lips. He was tall and broad in shoulder and chest, muscled and with features that were dark, mysterious and intimidating. She was an Elemental, not quite human and yet very close, and she certainly wasn't blind. Allanon was magnificent. One of the most handsome men she had come in contact with, but it was a different kind of handsome; rugged, strong, wise. He reminded her of the earth itself and she found it was comforting in that it was natural, warm, and encompassing.

"Pyria Elessedil." His voice was low as if the name pained him and she could see it did in his eyes, through his features. She knew the name. Eventine's estranged sister, who had fled to Wing Hove along the dreary coast. Allanon saw recognition in her eyes and wanted to inquire as to how she seemed to know so much about everything. It was infuriating and he understood how Wil must feel in that moment. However, his heart ached too much to say anything else at all.

"I'm very sorry." Alessandra did not avert her gaze this time. She was not ashamed to have asked now, worried about he might fair yes, but not ashamed. She could see regret cross his features and knew that the situation between him and his love had been out of his control. She understood not having control. "You both were lucky to have had each other, even for a fleeting moment, Allanon. Most never experience being in love. Not real love anyways and I can sense that what you had was true."

"Yes." Allanon bit out, but not unkindly. It was as though he had wanted to say _something,_ anything in response to her declaration. "It was."

Alessandra smiled at him, warmth and tenderness filling her features. She picked up the satchel from the grass and looked it over, slinging it across her body. She looked to the spring, watching the steam for a long moment and then returned her gaze to the Druid.

He sensed something behind her words. A hidden meaning. Something to do with experiencing being in love. Did it have something to do with her Keeper? Had she been in love and lost it? Had she lost her Keeper?

"Would you care to walk back with me to the palace?" She questioned gently, giving him an escape if he so desired one. He bowed his head slightly in acceptance and waited for her to lead the way through the woods. She pulled out the scrawled map on the back of the note from the satchel and looked it over. He could not help but find the sight amusing, warmth filling his broken and cold heart.

"You are a Pygmy. Can't you sense the way?" Allanon asked, noticing her confusion as she peered from the map to the woods around them.

"I'm not perfect, Druid, and I'm exhausted." She quipped, but her voice held a breath of a laugh in it as she scanned the map again.

"Would you like me to lead?" He questioned and she gave a small, shoving the note into her pants.

"I'm utterly hopeless." She looked to him again and crossed her right arm around her abdomen to hold her left side where the broken rib sat. Allanon's eyes traveled to her side, wondering briefly how much more damage he had caused by hastily dragging her out of the spring the way he had. Were more ribs broken now?

"There's hope for you yet, Guardian." Allanon's lips curled into a tender smile that reached his eyes. Alessandra found herself taken aback by the gesture, feeling inside of herself a warmth that seemed to grow and spread. Allanon raised a gloved hand and pointed a single digit to his right. "It's this way."

Allanon walked passed her, carrying the scent of the leather of his robe and armor. It mingled with an earthy scent of soil, sweat and rose oil, which must have come from her when she found safety under his robe. She turned and followed behind him, heart beating faster than she could ever remember it doing before.

* * *

~Arborlon Palace~

~Near Midnight~

Alessandra and Allanon had walked back to the palace in silence. Each lost to their own thoughts. Alessandra focused on what the Ellcrys had said to her, what she needed to relay to Allanon, what she needed to admit to him. He too had things he needed to speak with her about. Events had happened during her disappearance, events that had propelled plans into full motion and could not be stopped now. However, they would both need to wait. She was exhausted and he desired solitude. She needed rest and he needed to meditate.

They went their separate ways for the night once they arrived back at the palace. Despite Alessandra's longing for her bed, she found herself wanting to keep him at her side longer. She wanted to continue speaking with him, sharing stories and memories, experiences. But she could see that he had had enough for one day.

They would speak again soon. He would look for her the next day. She knew this to be true in her heart and in the lingering stare he settled on her as she walked down the hall.

She headed into her room and came face to face with the sight of Aria asleep in her bed. In the armchair situated by the fireplace was Björn, fast asleep and snoring softly. Alessandra smiled at them both and then walked to the bed, pulling back the covers. She pulled off her sandals and climbed beneath the covers, pulling them up beneath her underarms. She lay on her side, watching over Aria who slept peacefully with her hair in knots about her head. Alessandra reached out a hand and gently tugged the knots free, running her fingers through the fine sandy blonde hair.

"You seem better." The voice was a low whisper, deep and filled with sleep. "I can sense you're not so arid now. The spring help?"

Alessandra did not move to look at her brother, knowing his eyes were certainly still closed anyway. Instead, her lips curled up into a small smile.

"More than you know." She let her hand move to pull Aria closer to her, arm wrapping protectively around the girl.

"Good." Björn's lips curled up into a half smirk, sensing there was much more indeed than he knew. This was good. Very good. Perhaps then his sister was finally, after centuries, coming to terms with her responsibilities. Even more than that, perhaps she was finally finding happiness and learning to trust. Perhaps, she had found someone to place her trust in.

Björn opened his eyes and stood up from the armchair. He walked closer to the bed, coming up along Alessandra's side and leaned over her. He placed a soft kiss to his younger sister's temple and brushed Aria's hair from her face. He then walked away, heading out of the room to find solace in his own bed.


	9. Chapter 9

So, this chapter I debated on a lot. Whether it was too soon or just right. Whether it fit in or not. But I am happy with it overall. After this, the story will follow a little more closely to the show, starting about episode 4 of the first season. Thank you swingrlm for all the lovely comments! I may take you up on your offer to bounce some ideas around in future chapters here.

* * *

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~The Sanctuary~

~Allanon~

Allanon had lingered a moment in the hall as Alessandra entered her bedroom. When he heard the door click closed, he headed down the opposite hallway and out into the night. He took his time on the path back to the Sanctuary, enjoying the peace that the nighttime woods brought with it.

A weight sat heavy in his heart ever since bringing up memories from his past. It had also brought up feelings he had not wanted to experience again. When discussing his lost love, he had neglected to mention to Alessandra, for fear of upsetting her more than he had, that Pyria had very recently lost her life. It was that same fateful day Alessandra had found him in the Druid Cave, facing his own pitiful end.

 _How poetic_ _it would have been_ – he thought to himself grimly as he stalked along, robes swishing with each heavy step – _lovers torn asunder only to find each other in death._

Oh, how Pyria had aged over his thirty-year absence. Grey hair, crow's feet, hunched and thinning frame, but her eyes had remained just as fiery. They had struck him down that day on the beach, pierced his heart like a dagger. She had been angry. Of course, she would be angry. He had appeared suddenly after thirty years, looking the same while she had aged. After the War of Races, he had succumbed to the Druid Sleep without saying goodbye. He had left her to face the decades alone and then only to perish under the wrathful savagery of a demon. It had torn his lost lover apart.

What made it worse was that he had not had the chance to explain his absence in those thirty years. He had not been able to apologize and it was too late now. He was always too late. Too late to understand. Too late to react. Too late to live his life.

Allanon pushed open the heavy stone doors to the Sanctuary and breezed past the Ellcrys, his eyes only turning upwards once to gaze at it. It stood as an ominous reminder of his duty, his responsibility, a path he had not chosen. That none of them, he nor Alessandra nor Wil or Amberle, had chosen. They were pawns in an ever-changing game board and the Ellcrys was the puppet master tugging on their strings. Their lives mattered little. They were disposable. If only they could save the world from the impending doom that hovered on the horizon; Dagda Mor. His destruction would be because of their sacrifices. Was the price worth the gain?

He felt conflict over this. The Druid in him said yes, their lives were well worth saving the Four Lands and destroying the dark elf Druid. However, the human portion of him said no. This side screamed out that, while his own life mattered little, Wil and Amberle... _Alessandra_... their lives **mattered**. Their sacrifices, though necessary, should not be the price paid. He would gladly give up his own existence if only they survived.

However, that was not possible. There were events in motion, things happening to them, which could neither be halted nor reversed. There would be lives lost, changed, destroyed in the upcoming struggles. He understood that and it ate away at him.

He was too soft; his master had told him many centuries ago. It was his downfall. His saving grace. The human forever lingering in his blood. No amount of training or pain or study could wash that away.

Allanon headed into the caretaker's quarters, his makeshift room for the duration of his stay, and waved a hand at the candle on the bedside table. It came to life, flames flickering as it cast shadows on the walls and caused him pause. The shadows took shapes of memories he longed to forget, but felt he needed to remember. He looked away and removed his robe, casting it over the back of one of the chairs. He bent his neck left and right to stretch it, a small _pop_ releasing the tensed muscles. As he turned around to head to his bed, he noticed something resting on the covers already.

He moved closer and picked up the intruder. He examined it carefully as he sat down on the bed's edge, legs spread apart and elbows on his knees. Slowly, he spun it in his gloves hands, it's yellow-green center staring back at him with determination. It was as though it wished to speak directly to him, to calm him as its owner did. Its white and pink arms, speckled with deep shades of burgundy, opened to him invitingly as though to embrace him. He contemplated the stargazer's existence and its meaning. He had neglected to tell Alessandra and Björn something important about it. Something about him.

He had seen this flower before.

It was not in any book he had read from any race. Nor had he seen it because of any magic spell, enchantment or the like. He had seen it in its radiance, smelt its fresh aroma, felt its softness against his skin. He had cherished its delicate, haunting beauty.

This flower had plagued his mind for thirty long years. It had been a beacon to hold onto while lost in the Druid's Sleep. It had called to him. It had held him. It had brought him back. Now, here it was again doing the same thing.

Allanon turned the flower to face him again, eyes scanning over its perfect petals and anthers that reached out to him. He could smell the same scent, light and floral, as it wafted to his nose. Even with his gloves on, he could tell how smooth the petals would be against flesh. His thoughts wandered farther and farther away.

What did this flower mean?

Why had it returned now?

How had she brought it to life?

Why this particular species?

All good questions that the Druid was certain the Ellcrys already knew the answers to. It must. It was the puppet master. It had called him and Alessandra here from the furthest reaches of the lands. The lasts of two breeds, both powerful, both old and it had brought forth this flower that both of them knew and cherished. It meant something. It had too.

Taking the flower with him, Allanon stood up from the bed and walked out into the Sanctuary. He approached the Ellcrys and walked up the dais to stand at the top, looking up at the great tree. Leaves were beginning to fall more plentiful, burning out before they hit the ground. Allanon turned to his left and reached out a gloved hand, closing his eyes in concentration.

"What does it mean?" He asked gently, voice quiet and mind open to the great tree. "Speak to me, Ellcrys."

The Ellcrys said nothing.

Instead, she showed him.

* * *

 _~Inside the Ellcrys~_

 _The sun shone warmly as it sat low in the sky. Pink, orange, and purple streaks spread over the sky like ink splats, bleeding into the clouds. The breeze was gentle, carrying with it the sweet fragrance of fresh flowers and grass; clean and crisp._

 _Allanon stood before the Ellcrys, dressed fresh robes of a deep hunter green. He had his back turned away from the doors and stared up at the great tree, hands clasped before him. His heart held acceptance and a peace he had not felt in a very long time. This felt right._

 _Below the dais, down the steps at the base, was an aging woman with shoulder length white hair and hard grey eyes. Her face, wrinkled and aged, was painted with dark streaks of black and blue in intricate designs. In her hands, she held a stone bowl and a short dagger, both just as intricately decorated with etchings of scenes and words._

 _The doors to the Sanctuary opened and their heavy stone groaned as they glided across the floor. Footsteps, two pairs echoed about the room as figures approached. One were heavy, strong with a rhythmic heel-toe beat. The other pair were soft and muffled like a mouse, graceful. The sound of light cloth swished, dragging along the stone floor and catching in the breeze. It was melodic, entrancing as it kept pace with the footsteps._

 _Allanon felt something inside him grow. It was warm and calming. He turned around, feeling a tug on something deep within him from an invisible force. He was surprised when he saw_ _ **her**_ _. Her golden hair was braided with ribbons of gold and flowers intertwined within, bumped up so as to make her hair taller. Her skin, peachy and sun-kissed, held intricate white markings on her hands, her arms, and parts of her face. The markings on her face were done in a delicate way to accentuate her cheekbones and eyes._

 _She walked closer, movements careful and graceful. She wore a fitted dress of white and gold, intricately, beautifully designed with a sweetheart neckline. Attached to the dress at the neckline was lace fabric with designs of flowers and vines. It held up her dress on her shoulders, but exposed her upper chest and collar bones. Her piercing blue eyes held a strange mix of displeasure and happiness in them._

 _ **Why was she displeased?**_ _– He thought as she picked up the bottom of her dress with both hands and walked up the short steps of the dais. When her eyes rose to meet his again, he saw it wasn't displeasure. It was uncertainty._

 _"Good." The old woman spoke up, voice craggy like a crow as she moved closer to the steps. "Now that you are both here. We may begin."_

 _"Wait." Alessandra shot sharply back to her, eyes befalling the older woman. There was something she urgently wanted to say._

" _What is it, child?" The older woman was bothered at being interrupted, but respected the panic that seemed to be in Alessandra's voice._

" _You don't have to do this." She took a quick breath and then looked back at Allanon, features twisting into anxiety. "You still have a choice, Allanon. You can walk away. I will understand. You aren't duty bound to this. You don't owe me anything."_

 _Alessandra's words were a breath on the wind, melodic like the chirps of a morning dove. She was worried about something. He could clearly see it as she stood before him, hands playing with the fabric of her dress._

 _ **Walk away? From what?**_ _– He didn't understand what was happening. What was the Ellcrys trying to show him? What was all this?_

 _"The Druid can't walk away now. You have to do this. Both of you." It was Björn who spoke, the other set of footsteps that had walked in with Alessandra. He stood at the base of the steps with the older woman. Allanon's gaze fell on him and then moved back to Alessandra, whose eyes were cast downwards._

 _"There is always a choice." She breathed out painfully and looked up at Allanon again, a mixture of begging and understanding in her eyes. "You don't have to do this, Allanon. Not if you don't wish to. I will understand. We_ _ **all**_ _will understand."_

 _And she would. He felt that in his heart. She would understand if he turned away, forsaking this path. She would make the others, whoever they were, understand. She would hold no grudge, no ill will, but it would hurt her in ways he never wanted to hurt her._

 _ **What was she speaking about? What was his choice? –**_ _Allanon thought, but could not voice his concern. He could only watch the scene play out. He realized this was a future, a possible future, and one that the Ellcrys was obviously hoping for. She had been pushing them both towards this, but now it seemed she grew desperate and determined to make this one truth._

" _This is your path. Your destiny. You must do this, Aless, if not for our people, then for yourself. Too long have you walked this earth alone." Björn's voice was heated and demanding of her. "You both were brought here for a purpose. The Ellcrys–"_

" _The Ellcrys is_ _ **not**_ _all powerful or all knowing. She can demand this of us all she wants, but these are_ _ **our**_ _lives she muddles with." Alessandra's eyes shot to her brother, who seemed to back down at the ferocity of her voice. He took a step backwards and stood straight, watching her with a steady eye as though waiting for another tongue-lashing. "I may have no choice in this matter, I was born for this, but he was not. This is being forced upon him."_

 _Alessandra turned back to Allanon, who found himself smiling gently at her with a calm in his heart. Her ferocity, he found, only made her more stunning. It was in this moment he saw her as what she truly was; a Guardian of the Earth. She_ _ **was**_ _earth. Tender, selfless, nurturing, warm, but also strong, unmovable and fierce._

 _Alessandra reached out a hand, decorated with intricate white markings that stained her skin, and took one of his. Allanon realized that his hands were ungloved and healed of all his past scarring. The scarring from his usage of magic, the prices he had paid for the power he wielded. It confused him, the him who was an onlooker to this whole future. Where had the all burns gone, the scars and the wounds? Had she healed him? ...again?_

 _His questioning ceased when the warmth and tenderness in her touch called his attention back. She squeezed his hand firmly, thumb rubbing over his knuckles. Her eyes were steady and inquisitive as she searched his for a sign._

" _I will not have you bound to me if you do not wish it." Her words were a declaration, eyes fervently searching his own warm browns for a confirmation. He could feel her hand in his tighten again. "This is a_ _ **permanent**_ _connection, a tethering of our souls, Allanon. It cannot be undone."_

 _He could see in her eyes that she desperately needed affirmation from him and him alone. He could see, sense, that she wanted him here with her more than anything. She as willing to bind herself to him, fully and wholly. She didn't want him to walk away. She wanted him to be her_ _ **Keeper**_ _..._

 _He had put the last of this puzzle together, understanding now what the Ellcrys desired. The great tree had pushing them together since the start, putting Alessandra in his path again and again and again so he could not miss her or forget her. Upon this realization, he found a feeling in his heart that demanded he stay here with Alessandra. It affirmed him that this was something he wanted also. He wanted to bind himself to her, to stay at her side always. Perhaps it was the Ellcrys creating these feelings and thoughts inside of him. But maybe... just maybe... he was being given a second chance._

 _He hadn't understood the feeling when he had first felt it in the Druid Cave. When she had placed her hand on his head and all his pain, his worry, his fear had melted away. He didn't need to understand anything about this though. All he needed to know was that something deep within him was telling him this was right. All he needed to do was take Alessandra's other hand and assure her, constantly, forever if that is what it took, that this_ _ **was**_ _his choice. He chose her. Above duty, above responsibility, he chose_ _ **her**_ _._

 _"I am here willingly. I will not abandon you. All of this, is our destiny, our future. Whether by design of the Ellcrys or some greater power." The words left his mouth without his consent. He was an observer in his own body, no control or ability to change what was unfolding before him. Though, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to stop it. The feelings he felt were confusing. Were they his own or simply part of the act being played out before him?_

 _The Druid in him told him, screamed at him, to stop this senseless affair. He had other duties, other responsibilities he needed to accomplish Dagda Mor was rising to power and he needed to stop him. Besides, she was an Elemental. Druids didn't associate with their kind for good reason. They were hasty, over-emotional, allowed their hearts to lead them astray. That was what the human in him craved though; hastiness, emotion, heartfelt. He also found he craved the feeling of being needed, being wanted for all he was._

 _As he stood there, staring down at her, watching her bright blue eyes swirl with worry, fondness, desire, he understood that she wanted all of him. Druid_ _ **and**_ _human; the light_ _ **and**_ _the dark; the whole_ _ **and**_ _the broken. She accepted him. She understood him... and that made his decision, his ethereal future self and his observer self's decision, easy this time._

 _"I am here willingly." More words left his lips, which curled upwards in a tender smile; a smile he had not felt on his features in decades. It was true and warm. "I will go through the Vows with you and become your Keeper."_

 _"Are you certain? You don't fully understand what this entails. There is so much to this that I have not been able to explain to you. We have been rushed into things. So much has happened in such a short time. The Ellcrys continues to push this on us without our consent." She rambled nervously, words mingling together. She was_ _ **so**_ _nervous. Allanon found himself beginning to chuckle deep within his chest, a deep rumbling sound like thunder. He could not help but release it in a small fit, the sound seeming to soothe her._

" _Allanon? Are you... laughing at me?" Her face fell almost, but then climbed again as a smiled spread over her lips that were covered in the same white stain as her hands. She stood before him as hauntingly beautiful as ever with eyes wide and a shit-eating grin on her face. A vision of some otherworldly beauty come to claim his life and he would let her if she required it._

 _He, the him in this strange future, realized that he had not felt this way with Pyria. He had loved her, but not like this. This was something else' something deeper. Perhaps, because there really had been no future for them was why. With Alessandra, he felt certain there was one and it would be beautiful and warm and loving. It would be healing and peaceful._

 _"Allanon." She breathed out, finding herself beginning to laugh as well. Her eyes softened, features brightening as a smile reached her eyes._

 _"Well, then. Are we ready_ _ **now**_ _to proceed with the ceremony?" The old woman demanded, obviously losing her temper, but also amused by the two young ones before her._

* * *

 _The scene suddenly faded away and Allanon was left alone in a desolate terrain, wind harsh and earth void of life. The ground, hard and decrepit, sat dead beneath his boots. Crags and cracks, deep and vast, spread out before him. He had to squint his eyes against the debris in the air, rocks and dirt scrapping his face. He turned his head left and right, searching for signs of anything. All he saw was destruction._

 _A cold chill ran down his spine and overcame him. He turned around at the beckoning of some dark presence. A demon, an elf Druid turned dark, stood with Alessandra's throat clasped tightly in her hand._

 _"Dagda Mor." Allanon spoke his name with venom, eyes hard and blazing._

" _Druid!" Dagda Mor laughed, deep and demonic. "We meet again!"_

" _What is this?" Allanon growled out lowly over the threatening element._

 _"This is Alessandra's future. The one she tried to warn you about." Dagda Mor's words sounded wrong. Allanon's eyes befell Alessandra, who appeared to be passed out. The hold on her throat was tight, causing discoloration where Dagda Mor's mutated fingers resided. Bruises were beginning to form as a small trickle of blood began to roll down her neck where his nails dug in._

 _"She will fail, Druid. You both will fail!" Dagda More spoke again, voice broken and rough. The wind grew violently, debris striking them, but Dagda Mor seemed not to notice. "She cannot protect the Ellcrys. She cannot protect you. She cannot even protect herself."_

 _Dagda Mor's gaze befell Alessandra, eyes closed and unconscious in his hold. Her limbs hung loosely, legs straight as she hovered above the ground in his grasp. He looked over her body, her face and shook his bald, scarred head._

 _"Weak, pathetic fools. I should have finished your kind centuries ago." He growled out and pulled her closer to him, examining her more thoroughly. Allanon said nothing, but the gears in his mind churned slowly. Alessandra had never told him what had happened to her people. Why there were so few of them left. He had never even considered that the War of the Races had affected them nor had he suspected Dagda Mor played a role._

 _"You should have run and hid away, little Pygmy." Dagda Mor breathed into her face and her eyes abruptly blinked open. It took her a moment to realize what was happening and when she did, she screamed; high-pitched and wholeheartedly. Dagda Mor squeezed her throat tighter, silencing her. Her hands tugged on his arm, struggling against him as he held her above the ground._

 _"Look at yourself now! What a Guardian you made! Centuries of running from your destiny, your duty! Look where it has gotten you!" Dagda Mor screeched at her, but she wasn't listening. Allanon reached to his side for his sword, pulling at the hilt and unsheathing it. "I will finish your people off and leave you to revel in the wake of the destruction!"_

 _Allanon moved swiftly despite his sturdy frame. He lunged, a roar of strength leaving his lips as determination set into his brow. Dagda Mor felt his approach and held out his free hand towards the Druid, power stopping the sword from reaching him and instead shattering into shards around Allanon. His hand moved passed the shards and clamped tightly onto Allanon's face, fingers gripping so tightly that his nails dug into the Druid's flesh._

 _"Now I will finish you both!" Dagda Mor laughed, but he did not feel Alessandra's hands leave his arm. He did not see them descend, palms facing the ground with fingers outstretched and firm. Allanon caught sight of her movement through Dagda Mor's fingers. He watched as a soft green glow emitted and felt the desolate earth beneath him shake._

 _Dagda Mor continued to laugh, dark and menacingly. Alessandra's left hand reached out to Allanon, palm turning up as though for him to take. His eye shot to look at her, seeing her stare on him and her eyes turning snow white, pupil and all. He reached a gloved hand out and took hers, sensing her pulling on his energy. As he weakened, she strengthened. From their clasped hands, markings in white slithered up her arm and crawled up her neck to her face; intricate, beautiful, fierce designs. They reached her eyes and Allanon felt the surge of energy radiating from her, entering the earth beneath them._

 _"Look around Druid! This is the future. Decrepit, void, full of death. She will walk the ages of this broken world alone in my new era! One of blood and fire!" Dagda Mor's voice was reveling in his supposed victory. But he did not notice the grass growing beneath his feet, spreading out like a wave and coating the earth. Trees began to spring up from the ground, growing tall like mountains. Vines slithered through the woods that surrounded them and slithered around Dagda Mor's ankles, his calves, his waist. Only then did he notice._

 _"No." His voice was surprised, even fearful. His gaze shot to his left where Alessandra was still firmly in his hold. Her eyes were stark white, terrifying, and staring straight through him. The marking on her body seemed to glow as the energy surged through her. Allanon felt waves of it, pulling from him, feeding back into him. Pure energy._

 _"No!" Dagda Mor screeched, the vines crawling up his body. He dropped Alessandra and Allanon, trying to tear at the vines that bound him. Alessandra landed on her feet, gaze still cemented on the dark Druid and hand still grasping Allanon's. Allanon stood at her side, feeling the energy flow through him, giving him strength. His left hand grew warm, but did not burn as a ball of red fire developed in his palm._

 _"Two sides of a balance." This voice was soft, gentle like a whisper on a spring breeze. Allanon felt a hand on his left shoulder and looked to see the Ellcrys, her personification in mortal form. "Both of you shall save us."_

 _Allanon looked to Alessandra; strong, confident, fierce. He looked to their hands, fingers laced and held tightly._

 _"Together as one." The Ellcrys spoke again. Despite the violent winds, the debris, she seemed apart from it all. Long, dark hair firm against her back and cream-colored dress hanging loosely on her. "She needs a Keeper."_

 _"I cannot be what she needs!" Allanon called back to the Ellcrys, turning to look at her again._

 _ **What if he does not believe me?**_

 _Allanon knew the voice belonged to Alessandra. He turned his head again to look at the woman on his right, fighting to contain Dagda Mor with the energy she channeled. Her face was hard, concentrated and ferocious like a great brown bear protecting her cubs._

 _ **What happens when the Druid rejects the Elemental?**_

 _Allanon heard Alessandra's voice again despite her lips moving. A conversation from the past then, he deduced. A conversation she had when she had touched the Ellcrys._

" _She needs a Keeper. Without a Keeper, the Guardian is unprotected." The Ellcrys' turned her gaze to the dark Druid tangled in thick, strong vines. Slowly, the earth itself began to climb his legs. "If the Guardian is unprotected, she is vulnerable to the Dark One. He seeks her for the energy she channels. But she can do so much_ _ **more**_ _."_

 _Allanon watched as the earth climbed up Dagda Mor's body. It encased him, making him immobile. Alessandra raised her hand from the ground beneath her and held her palm flat out towards the dark Druid. A light, pure white like her eyes, began to grow from her and stretched towards Dagda Mor. As it approached, Dagda Mor called out, but it was cut short. His body, his flesh, all of him, turned to solid stone._

 _Alessandra's hand fell, the white markings disappeared, and she fell backwards. She was spent. Allanon caught her in his arms, cradling her against him as he had the day she had come out from speaking with the Ellcrys._

 _"You both still have time." The Ellcrys' words were soft. The wind died down and the sun came out over head, pouring golden rays down over Allanon's and Alessandra's forms. "Take the Vows. Become her Keeper."_

 _"I cannot." Allanon breathed out, heart hammering in his chest. The Druid in him screamed out, beat against his human side in an effort to control him. He was a Druid first and foremost. He had a duty to uphold. He had responsibility._

 _"She is your duty. Not as a Druid, but as a human. She is the last Guardian of Earth. She alone can save the land. You must save our souls." The Ellcrys' walked around him and knelt beside Alessandra. She outstretched a delicate hand and brushed away stray strands of blonde hair from the Elemental's face. "_ _ **She**_ _is your future, Allanon. Trust her. Trust_ _ **in**_ _her. She understands."_

 _Allanon was at war with two halves of himself. He had been a Druid for so long that he had forgotten how to be human. Duty, magic, the teachings were all that he knew. He had forsaken his human half long ago in order to become a Druid. He wasn't sure he knew how to be anything else._

 _"She needs you," Ellcrys reached over Alessandra and placed a hand on Allanon's shoulder. "and I need her. She is your duty. She is your present and your future. Take the Vows. Become who she needs you to be. What we all need you to be."_

* * *

~The Sanctuary~

Allanon reeled back as he was released from the Ellcrys' enchantment. He stumbled back and down the steps, catching himself as he fell to his knees. So many emotions soared through him at once; hope, fear, worry, happiness, sadness. It was almost too much to bear at once. His breathing was heavy and deep, unsteady. His hands lay flat against the stone floor as though to brace him, preparing for another bombardment.

He lifted his head and stared at the Ellcrys, who stood tall and silently now as the rays of dawn's first light made her leaves burn bright red. Allanon lowered his head again, realizing that he had spent his night inside the consciousness of the great tree as Alessandra had. He took another deep breath and then pushed himself up onto his feet, standing tall. His eyes landed on the stargazer that had fallen from his hand. Instead of lying flat on the top of the dais, it was upright and rooted in between the cracks of the stone.

 _She is the last Guardian of Earth._

 _She alone can save the land._

The words of the Ellcrys played over and over in his mind. Flashes from the enchantment, from taking the Vows to Dagda Mor, replayed again. His stare held the flower firmly, face void of emotion. Slowly, he lowered himself to his knees again. He sat back on his heels and laced his hands together in Druid meditation. If only his master were here, Bremen would know what was the right thing to do. But his master was gone, dead, like all the other Druids. He alone survived. He alone had to decide what was right.

Torn between the two sides of himself, Allanon sat in deep meditation before the Ellcrys. All his lessons. All his studies. All his experiences. They told him no. They screamed NO. But as he lifted his head and looked back on the Ellcrys, his heart whispered _yes_ over and over and over again.

"Allanon!" A light-hearted voice called from the back of the Sanctuary as footsteps, careful and steady, neared.

 _Wil_ – Allanon noted and stood from the stone floor as Wil came around the tree.

"Something's happened." Wil started, anxiety and fear on his face. "Someone tried to kill Amberle. They stole my elf stones. They're being taken to the Throne Room now."

"Come Wil." Allanon breezed past the young half-elf and headed towards the back door of the Sanctuary. The Druid half of Allanon had won out. "We have work to be done."


	10. Chapter 10

Long chapter for you guys! This one made it over 10,000 words so it's a personal victory for me. I expect to have the next chapter out as soon as possibly, but be please be patient. I will not forsaken this story. Hope you enjoy this! As always, thank you swingrlm for all your support!

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~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~Morning~

Alessandra felt the warmth of the sun on her face as it poured in through the balcony windows. She inhaled deeply, feeling her lungs ache from the previous night at the spring, but it felt good. The fresh air, the deep intake, the expansion of her chest cavity. It was like stretching out your back after a long night's rest. She rolled onto her back and did just that, reaching her arms up above her head, she stretched as far as she could. She mused her hair, strewn haphazardly across her pillow, and yawned deeply.

Her mind began to wander to events of the previous night with the Ellcrys in her head. The great tree had been struggling, feeding Alessandra information while at the same time testing the last of the Chosen. Who was the last Chosen? Amberle? How had they alone survived and what exactly had happened to the others?

The Ellcrys had talked a lot; brief and hurried, but had given Alessandra a lot of information. Amberle, the suspected Chosen, she must be the one needing to go to Safehold. But where was Safehold and what was it? It must be a city, right? What of the Bloodfire? And what seed? Was the seed for Alessandra? Was she supposed to save the Ellcrys with it somehow? Or was Amberle the one needing it, take it to Safehold? Perhaps the Bloodfire, whatever it was, was in Safehold?

 _The Chosen. Amberle._

 _Safehold. Bloodfire._

 _The Seed. Rebirth._

 _The Chosen must go to Safehold._

 _The seed must soak in the Bloodfire._

Where did Alessandra fit in to all this? The Ellcrys had told her that she would save the earth, but had not specified how, when, or why. So, why tell her about the other plans then? Why make her privy to what the Chosen needed to accomplish? Were they both part of the mysterious rebirth?

The Ellcrys had only insisted Alessandra take her Vows. She needed to become a true Guardian and take a Keeper; take Allanon as her Keeper. Together they would save the Four Lands, the people, and the Ellcrys. Together as one; as equals; as counterparts in a delicate balancing act that only they two understood.

Allanon – Alessandra thought about him, his actions and their conversations at the spring. He had **saved** her; searched for her when her presence was apparently missing at the palace and had dove into the boiling waters to drag her to safety. Would the Ellcrys have let her drown? Or was that part of her overarching plan? Had the Ellcrys been the force keeping her trapped beneath the waters, hoping, _knowing_ Allanon would search for her?

...was the Ellcrys **that** manipulative?

 _Take your vows._

 _Become a Guardian._

 _You still have time._

 _You both still have time._

 _You must save the earth._

Allanon floated through her mind again. His soft laugh, his smile. It had warmed her heart that he had opened up to her and about a very deep wound from his past. His lost love; Pyria. He had said that Druids had a responsibility to their duty first and foremost. Love was a distraction, a _weakness_ , that they couldn't afford.

That had upset her, but not personally as though a strike to her heart. It hurt her because it was so utterly sad. To live a life of duty and responsibility with no love to ease it all? That was a punishment. Nothing more. She could see plainly on Allanon's face that it had affected him each and every day. She could she he regretted his decision not to follow Pyria, telling her they had no future together, and instead uphold his responsibilities to the Druids. But with forsaking Pyria and love, he failed to uphold his responsibilities to himself and that was an outrage unto itself. As Alessandra's mind wandered further, she questioned whether Allanon could have pushed Pyria away, not because of his duty as a Druid, but because his path was leading him to her? Was it possible? Sure, it could be. After all, stranger things had happened. Did she believe it? She wanted to. She _really_ wanted to, but it was far too convenient.

She had spent centuries alone, searching for her Keeper and failing. Then the War of Races occurred and she had given up on the notion as the Four Lands fell into despair. Even when the Four Lands had somewhat recovered, she had not bothered picking the search back up. Why bother if she knew it was futile? She was the very last of the Pygmies. Her brother and niece were the last of their kinds. Her people were virtually extinct. The War of the Races, though ended and the lands were in a state of repair, many had perished and those who had not found themselves harboring distaste and distrust for one another. So, she had resigned herself to falling away into myth with her people, living out her life with her family in peace.

But everything in life always came at a price. A steep price. One she had not been forced to pay despite being the one to cause payment to be necessary. Instead, it had been her eldest brother. He had paid with his life and the life of his wife. It had left Aria an orphan and Alessandra with a deep chasm full of regret, guilt, and pain in her heart.

Alessandra heard the soft clinking of metal on ceramic. She opened her eyes to stare at the blank white ceiling overhead, curious as to whether she was still asleep or not. The clinking ceased, something wooden sliding backwards over stone.

"Well, good morning. Glad to see you have finally arisen."

Alessandra jumped at the voice and looked to her right where she knew a small round table to be. Björn sat eating a breakfast of fresh fruit, a kind of bread, cheese, meat, and juice. Alessandra was confused for a moment, eyes heavy with sleep and mind struggling to get itself going. She looked from her brother to the room and then the movement to her left. There, curled into her was a mass of sheets and nightgown and sandy blonde hair; Aria.

"Would you care to eat something?" Björn questioned quietly, seeing just how exhausted his sister was. Her eyes were red and looked sore. Could she really see through them? She had scald marks on her hands and neck that were just as angry looking. Alessandra said nothing and carefully climbed out of bed, covering Aria back up to keep her warm. She trudged to the table and sat down beside Björn, looking over the contents on the table.

"You need to eat something. You're turning into skin and bone." Björn made her a plate and set it down before her, watching her carefully as she stared down at it. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Do not tell me you have no appetite. You have hardly eaten anything since you arrived."

"I ate that strange fruit you gave me yesterday." She breathed out, voice cracking with sleep. She stared down blankly at her plate, eyes heavy. She hadn't eaten much in the last several days. Her last real meal had been before arriving at the palace in Arborlon. Her mind drifted away as the hair on her arms stood up, gooseflesh rising. "I sense something odd within the palace. Has something happened?"

"Odd how?" Björn froze, fork in hand and lifted his head to stare at his sister. "What do you mean?"

"I do not know." Alessandra breathed out again and lifted her fork from the table, poking a piece of melon that looked juicy and fresh. Instead of eliciting hungry, she felt illness peck at her belly. She licked her dry lips and tried to focus what little energy she had on the strange sensation she felt coursing through her. "Something that shouldn't be here."

"It's a physical manifestation?" Björn questioned further, gauging her reactions as they came. Alessandra shrugged and continued to move things around on her plate.

"Could be. It's not a dark kind of feeling. Just _odd_." She explained and lifted her fork to her lips. The smell of the fruit twisted her stomach into knots. She let it fall back to her plate and then turned her head to the left, looking at Aria asleep in her bed. "Allanon mentioned something about the Chosen. All are dead. Except one."

"I see the Druid knows not the meaning of secrecy." Björn grumbled and ran a cloth napkin over his lips. "Yes. All except Princess Amberle are gone."

"How?" Alessandra's gaze lingered on Aria, who slumbered on peacefully. Björn leaned back in his chair and looked down at his half-eaten plate.

"We're not sure yet." Björn knew his answer would not suffice and as Alessandra's head snapped round to stare hard at him, he wished he had more information for her.

"What do you mean?" Alessandra stared at hi accusingly as though he were hiding something from her.

"Exactly as I said." Björn tried again and leaned closer. "We don't know anything about the killer as of yet, but–"

" _Killer_?" The way the term passed through her lips registered in Björn's mind as him having misspoken. He couldn't take it back now though. Alessandra looked back at Aria, making sure she had not awoken, and then leaned closer to her brother to whisper. "They were murdered? When? Where?"

"We discovered their bodies in the Throne Room a few days ago. Before you and Aria arrived." Björn answered her questions, finding he could not hide anything from her. She would find out eventually. If not from him, then the Druid it would seem.

"…in the palace?" Alessandra breathed out, blinking rapidly as her mind tried to keep up with the information. "And the culprit hasn't been found? Björn, they may still be lurking the halls...!"

"We know, Aless. We are taking every precaution possible." Björn extended a hand and placed it over his sister's that laid on the table top. "More guards are being posted around the clock at entrances and exits. Soldiers doing routine walkthroughs in the palace and the perimeter. You and Aria are safe. This I promise you."

Alessandra said nothing and looked back at Aria again. She felt a cold chill race down her spine as fear bubbled up within her. Were they truly safe? An assassin was running around the palace, had killed the sacred Chosen Ones, and in the Throne Room nonetheless. She didn't feel safe. She felt exposed.

"Has she been okay?" She breathed out the question, unsure of what she was really asking. Did Aria know about the intruder? Did she know about the Chosen? Was she angry with her aunt for being absent the past several days?

"She's fine. She understands, I think. If that's what you're asking." Björn soothed his sister as his eyes befell his niece. She had been fine as far as he could tell, which wasn't saying much. Perhaps a little more quiet than usual? Lost to her own thoughts and abilities? He understood that Sylphs were generally happy-go-lucky beings, but had a very aloof nature to them. Present one moment and gone the next in both body and mind. Aria was no different than any of the others before her.; suffering from her abilities, unable to control when they arose or faded.

"She's very much like him." Björn found himself saying as memories invaded his mind. He gave a small laugh. "Looks like her mother though. Thank the gods. I can't believe how much she's growing."

"Amazes me each and every day." Alessandra looked back at her brother, meeting his gaze with a soft smile. "She's starting to get a handle on things, but I can only teach her so much. She really needs another Sylph to train her."

"There are none left." Björn confirmed, shaking his head at the idea that their people were blinking out of existence so fast.

"One." Alessandra's voice was firm, compelling Björn to narrow his eyes at her.

"What do you mean _one_?"

"There is one other left." She met his stare and then looked back to Aria. "The crone told me about a woman to the north of Arborlon in the Kensrowe Mountains. She fled during the War of Races to the mountains."

"You believe the crone? Aless, she might have lied to you. Has anyone seen this other Sylph since the wars?" Björn was poking holes purposefully in this fallacy.

"She reached out to Aria." Alessandra confirmed and met her brother's hard stare. "Told her to seek her out."

"That's where you were heading. When Wil and Amberle came across Aria at the river." Björn was slowly putting the pieces together. "You weren't coming here at all."

"We were planning on stopping here along the way and then continue north." Alessandra explained. "You've been gone a long time, Björn. Do not patronize me and what I feel is best for Aria. She needs training in her abilities that neither I nor yourself can provide. If there is a Sylph living in the Kensrowe Mountains, then Aria deserves to meet one of her own kind, learn from her, feel as though she is not alone."

"Because you know how it feels?" Björn retorted and quickly regretted his words. He closed his eyes and gnawed on his cheek. What he had said wasn't fair nor was it nice. He was lucky. He had found himself a place where he felt needed, wanted, respected. His sister had not been so lucky. Nothing about her life had been easy and she was doing brilliantly despite it all.

"Yes." Alessandra breathed out and turned away from her brother. Each sibling expressed their sadness, their regret. Björn had left home so young, right after the incident that had left their niece an orphan. He had wanted to escape, and he had. He had been lucky to find such a glorious position in a high elven kingdom. His sister had lived her life simply, moving from one wretched Elemental village to the next because that was what her position dictated. She was a kind of monarch in her own right; no throne, no crown, no one falling to their knees to bow to her, but they revered her. They saw her as their way back, a chance to be something great again. She knew this and, despite finding the idea irrational, she gave them what they needed; hope.

Björn looked back to Alessandra, no expression on her face and watched as her eyes lifted towards the balcony doors. She stood up and walked to them, opening them wide with her hands resting on the knobs. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the gentle breeze pass over her skin. The sun kissed her peachy flesh gently, warming it. The air was fresh, filled with the sent of soil and grass.

She was very much like the earth she protected, Björn had figured out long ago. She needed the warmth, the light, to feel like herself again. It brought her a sense of being, of calm, of purpose. It lifted her spirits and invigorated her soul. She blossomed in the sunlight like a delicate flower in a garden.

Björn watched as she reached into her pants pocket and pulled something out. He tilted his head back, looking around her to see she held two gemstones; amethyst and amber. She walked out onto the balcony and sat down in a chair that resided there, tilting her face up to the sun again. Björn set his fork down and wiped his mouth clean with the cloth napkin, setting it down beside his plate. He stood and walked over to the balcony, sitting down in the chair opposite Alessandra's. She held the stones, one in each palm up towards the sun.

"You depleted them." Björn commented, recognizing the practice of charging the gems with the cleansing energy of the sun.

"Yes." She acknowledged, but did not look to him. She sensed immediately where this was going and did not like it. Had her brother not been the one pushing her to find her Keeper all these centuries? Now that she had, Björn was really going to argue with her over using the stored energy in her crystals on him? He was on death's doorstep after all.

 _He doesn't realize the Keeper is Allanon though._ – Alessandra chided herself, biting her tongue hard. She had not told Björn yet about what the tree had expressed to her. She hadn't told Allanon either. She had little time even to process it herself these last few days. Things were happening so quickly she felt she could not catch her breath.

"On the _Druid_ , right? When you healed him on your way here?" Björn's words held bitterness in them. But why? Alessandra opened her eyes, squinting against the bright light and looked at her brother.

"What does it matter to you who I used them on?" She probed and then looked away, ahead of herself again. She thought back to that day in the cave. It seemed so far away now since everything else that had happened. "Do you think his life worth less than any other's?"

"No. Of course not." Björn quipped with sarcasm that irked Alessandra. "But he has his own magic that could have saved him. You didn't need to waste your time or energy."

"Waste?" She nearly spat the word out onto the stone beneath them. Then, her features twisted into to sympathy. "Oh Björn... you have much to learn yet. You hide away here in the safety of this elven palace, luxuries and security surrounding you each day. You know nothing of the world beyond Arborlon's walls; the destruction, the pain, the suffering. If you did, then you would understand why it is not a waste. It is never a waste. It is a necessity. One of compassion. One I am all too eager to oblige to when I am faced with a similar situation again."

"You Pygmies are all the same. Even if we share blood, you are more like them than you know. Leaving your hearts open on your sleeves. Bleeding hearts, the lot of you." Björn's words hurt her. Much more than she wanted to admit. She could also see she had struck a nerve within him and he was lashing out. He had heard her truth and felt his wrong, slicing through to her heart to make her feel his pain.

"I would rather leave my heart open, knowing it could be broken, then allow it to ice over as you have done, little brother." Her words were not meant to hurt him further, but she could see in his eyes that her words were true. He had allowed his heart to ice over. That's why he found solace here in Arborlon. No one knew him, where he had come from, and he could forget his past. She felt sympathy for him.

"I have to see to some matters." He stood up from his seat and straightened his navy-blue dress uniform. "When Aria wakes, you should take her to the gardens at the east wing. The tulips are in bloom. I'm sure she would like to see it. You as well."

With that, he turned on his heels and headed back into the room. Alessandra did not follow him with her eyes and instead turned herself back to the sun with each stone in a hand. She heard the bedroom door close as he left and then shook her head, sighing heavily.

"Undines," she grumbled and settled herself into the chair, taking a deep breath as she relaxed, "such overly sensitive creatures."

"Amita?" Aria's small voice called out to Alessandra from where she sat in the garden, blade of grass between her fingers.

"Yes, Aria?" Alessandra asked as she opened her eyes, tossing the blade of grass away, and looked to her niece. The small girl with sandy blonde hair and big green eyes stared back at her from where she stood by the fountain.

"Are you better now?" For something so young, Aria had a way to hide her true questions beneath the guise of her youth. Alessandra sensed there was more to this, more to the stare her niece gave her.

"Yes. I feel much better." Alessandra could see something brewing in the girl's eyes and the child turned away to kneel at the fountain, playing in the water.

"That's good." Aria's voice was a breath on the wind. She laid her left arm on the edge of the fountain and then let her chin rest on her arm. Alessandra watched her a moment and then moved her legs, clad in the simple riding pants her brother had given her the night before, so that the laid out before her.

"Aria, what's wrong?" She leaned forward, the flouncy sleeves of her peasant top dangling off her arms. Her hair, loose about her back, fell over her shoulders and onto her lap.

"I don't want to leave, Amita." Aria's voice was so soft that Alessandra nearly doubted she had heard anything at all. Aria turned her head, laying her cheek against her arm and looking at her aunt.

"Why not?" Alessandra questioned and sat up straight, tossing her hair away from her front. It flowed down her back like a cascade of golden waves, pooling in the grass. She reclined on the palms of her hands and lifted her face to the sun. "You were excited about meeting this Sylph living in the mountains before coming to Arborlon. What has changed?"

"I just..." Aria's voice fell away as she looked back at the water again. The force of the fountain made it ripple and bubble, distorting her features in its reflection, "Patruus is so happy that we're here. He will be sad if we go."

"Your Patruus is always sad, sweetheart. He is an Undine, by extension he is an empath and carries a lot of weight on his shoulders." Alessandra opened her eyes again and watched her niece. "But, so do we all."

"No. It's something about his eyes." Aria breathed out, her words sounding as though from one thrice her age.

"His eyes? What about them?"

"They make him look lost." Aria dipped her right hand into the water, swirling the image of her reflection. "Like he's broken."

Alessandra could say nothing. Confirming her niece's assessment would do nothing except upset her further. Aria was right though. Björn was broken. He had been for years since their elder brother had passed. Since Aria's mother had died. A love triangle that Björn had eventually been cut out of as their brother had won the woman's heart. With his tail between his legs, Björn had fled from their home and found a new identity within the elven palace at Arborlon. Over the last two decades she had heard nothing from him. Not a peep. Not even when their niece was born. Not even when their brother had perished. Not even when his love had followed.

"Aria, we are the lasts; the last Undine, the last Pygmy, and you are one of the last Sylphs. Perhaps the only real Sylph." Alessandra tried to divert the conversation elsewhere. "Should our venture prove fruitless and this mysterious woman in the mountains is nothing more than a myth, you will need to accept that you are the last true Sylph."

"You **and** Patruus can train me though. Can't you?" Aria looked back at her aunt, tears clouding her vision suddenly as the weight of her aunt's words sunk in.

"Oh Aria..." Alessandra opened her arms, inviting the child to her. Aria ran to her and plopped down in her aunt's lap, hiding her face in her shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around her neck. Alessandra's arms snaked around her niece, holding her tenderly to her. "Your Patruus and I are not Sylphs, Aria. Should the woman in the mountains prove a fraud, I will need to train you to the best of my ability, but honestly, my knowledge in Sylph customs is limited"

Her words were soft and gentle, but also firm. She needed the child to understand. She and Björn could only impart so much knowledge into their niece. Even combined, there would still be lessons and required training that they could not provide.

"We cannot train you the way you **need** to be trained." Alessandra emphasized.

"But you have trained me!" Aria cried, her small body shaking as a sob escaped her. Alessandra stared out at the fountain, waters falling in splutters in the basin. She wished she could train her, wished she could care for her the way she needed to be cared for.

 _I wish your parents were alive._ – Alessandra felt the weight in her heart grow until it threatened to consume her. – _I wish I could have taken their places._

"I have trained you in the fundamentals that every Elemental must know, and I will continue to do so for as long as I can, but as you grow so do your abilities." Alessandra pulled Aria back so she may look her in the eyes. Her reddened green eyes looked aghast as they met Alessandra's calm, cool blues. "Your abilities are very different from my own. More similar to your Patruus' in ways, but again, different. You **will** grow stronger and your abilities **will** need to be controlled."

"I **can** control them, Amita." Aria argued with her aunt, hands clenching the fabric of Alessandra's shirt on her shoulders. The air around them changed direction, growing harsh and biting. Alessandra sighed heavily at Aria's attempt to prove to her that she had complete control. However, it was not the wind Alessandra worried about, but instead the other aspects of the girl's powers that she found herself concerned with.

"Aria, enough." Alessandra's eyes softened. She moved a hand up to Aria's face, burned and angry from the oiling waters of the spring, and brushed away several locks of sandy hair. "You have a good amount of control over the wind, but you know what I speak of. Without proper training from another Sylph, your other abilities will outgrow _you_ and that can be dangerous. I have seen it happen, bluebird."

The nickname caused Aria to look downwards, chin tilted towards her chest and hands loosening their hold on Alessandra's shirt. She fell silent for a long moment and Alessandra could see that, despite her age, Aria was really mulling over everything that had been said.

Aria fell silent for a long moment. Alessandra ran a hand tenderly up and down Aria's back, flattening her messy childish hair against her pale yellow tunic top.

"Amita," Aria began again as her eyebrows knitted together and she rearranged herself on her aunt's lap. She stretched out her legs, clad in tan billowy pants, across Alessandra's lap. Alessandra recognized the look on the girl's face; concentration on something beyond their present moment. In response, Alessandra narrowed her eyes and waited. Aria continued, "what if there was someone else who could train me?"

"What are you talking about?" Alessandra asked, not completely paying attention to what her niece was saying.

"If there was another, someone else who could train me when my other abilities start to show," Aria continued on, catching Alessandra's full attention. She wanted to believe this was a game, a ploy, brought on by a child who simply did not want to leave her aunt and uncle's side for the company of an unknown hermit Sylph. The look in Aria's eyes told her otherwise. Aria looked away from her aunt again, "would I still have to leave?"

Alessandra said nothing for a long while, searching Aria's turned away face for confirmation that this was either true or false.

"Aria," Alessandra breathed out the name and elongated it, "what aren't you telling me?"

"I saw them." Aria breathed out, eyes clouding as she let herself drift away. Alessandra watched as the look of in her niece's eyes altered; face contorting as though she was trying to reach something too far away from her. "A boy with dark brown hair and dark eyes."

 _A boy?_ – Alessandra questioned and then narrowed her eyes at her niece. Something about this felt wrong.

"They're not a Sylph... are they?" Alessandra could tell, just sense that this was a truth her niece was concealing. As Aria avoided meeting her gaze, she knew her suspicion was confirmed. "Who is this boy? Does he have a name?"

"Bandon." Aria's eyebrows knitted together again, eyes squinting, trying so hard to reach whatever it was. "He has an ability like mine."

"What kind of ability?" Alessandra felt a shiver run down her spine as an idea flashed inside her mind.

"He can See just like me." Aria was pushing something into her mind, a scene. She saw the boy, Bandon, who was older than she expected. Possibly in his early adulthood. He was tall and sinewy with dark hair, dark eyes, pointed ears, and chained to a wall in a barn by a collar at his throat. He screamed, but the guard over his mouth muffled them as he tried to tug against the chains.

"Aria. Enough." Alessandra snapped, shaking her head free of the image. Had her niece really seen something so horrible at her age? She must have. In order to have put it into her own mind, Aria would have had to of seen it first. And the boy... where on Earth was he? Why was he chained like a dog? Who had done this to him? And why was Aria able to see him? Did he really have sight like her? Had he reached out to her first? So many questions that she knew her niece did not have the answers to.

"I'm sorry, Amita." Aria slumped on her aunt's lap, not quite realizing her mistake, but understanding enough that the scene had disturbed her aunt. Alessandra didn't have the gift of sight. She could open her mind to readers, but she could not read herself. Let alone see into someone's past or future just by sheer will. She didn't understand the nonchalance of it or of sharing it. It felt too personal and Aria was all too eager to share with others. No sense of personal space, of what was proper or not. She, as all Sylphs, had no concept of boundaries.

"It's all right. The boy, Bandon you said his name was, where is he? It looked like a barn he was in." Alessandra asked once she had shaken the sight from her mind.

"He isn't there anymore." Aria answered confidently and then a bright, goofy grin spread across her face as her big green eyes opened wide. "He's here!"

"What?" Alessandra was taken aback by her niece's sudden burst of energy. Confusion filled her as she stared down at the excited girl in her lap.

 _So much like her parents._ – Alessandra thought, seeing the girl's mother and father coming out in her day by day. She was so much like them personality wise, but her abilities, Aria's, frightened Alessandra because she could not understand them. They were very much like the wind itself; flighty and dominant. Very different from her own, which were solid and reliable. The small girl, for being so young, was also powerful. Not like a Guardian, but more powerful than the average Sylph had been.

"In Arborlon! He's in the palace. I saw him with Wil." Ari's voice rose an octave as she bounced out of her aunt's hold. Alessandra allowed her freedom from her grasp and closed her eyes, trying to process.

"Wil, the boy who wrote me the note?" She vaguely remembered the name, trying to put a face to it. The boy she had asked to tell Allanon to meet her at her room the night before.

"Yes. He and Bandon were walking in the hallway together. I saw them on our way to your room last night." Aria twirled around, the breeze catching her tunic and hair. Alessandra began to pick herself up from the grass. She wanted to believe her, wanted to believe that they would not have to chase after ghost living in the mountains to the north, but this seemed just as inconceivable. Perhaps even more so… and dangerous. The boy, Bandon, had been **chained** in what looked to be a deserted barn. Perhaps it was because someone did not understand his gift or even feared it, but what if it were something else? What if he, himself, were dangerous?

"Amita, we don't have to leave!" Aria exclaimed, but Alessandra's demeanor did not change. She stared down at her niece, her golden hair swaying in the warm breeze and eyes expressing her disbelief. Aria began to lose her zeal and ceased her bouncing. "Amita, don't you believe me? You saw him. You saw Bandon."

 _I believe that_ _ **you**_ _believe_. – Alessandra had not the heart to say this to the young girl though. She never could do that; tear her down despite what she felt in her heart. So, she would play along until Aria discovered the truth and then she would be there to comfort her.

"Where in the palace are they?" Alessandra questioned as she took out a length of cord from her pant pocket, tying her hair back from her face in a high ponytail. Her hair fell against her back when she finished like a thick mane, shimmering in the midday light.

"I saw a room with stone floors and walls." Aria offered, but one look from her aunt told her she had not done well enough.

"Aria, you need to be more specific than–"

"There were these big stone boxes in there with him," Aria continued and Alessandra fell silent again, sighing heavily, "flowers and candles... and Allanon!"

Why was Alessandra not surprised? She felt her lips curl upwards and a laugh escape her. She licked her lips and then shook her head. The mention of the Druid both excited her as well as bothered her. Again, he was a part of something that was sucking Alessandra into as well. Again, they were somehow being brought together. Aria had seen this strange man, who apparently had abilities similar to her own, with the Druid. Her Druid.

 _No. Not my Druid._ – Alessandra corrected herself, pushing away the feelings she had felt the night before and earlier this day. She understood that she wanted him in many ways for many reasons. However, giving into the Ellcrys' demands felt wrong. It felt manipulated and insincere. She wanted Allanon to _want_ to be her Keeper. She didn't want him forced into this. No matter the reason, no matter the consequences. It needed to be his choice.

"Come, Aria. Let's go meet this Bandon of yours." Alessandra held a hand out for her niece to take. She allowed her aunt to lead her away from the gardens and back to the palace. Alessandra did not know the room that Aria had spoken of, but she could sense Allanon's presence.

She had noticed the strange connection earlier that morning while she sat on the balcony of her room, basking in the sun. It was faint. A gentle tugging on her heart. She had felt it before, ever since she saved him in the cave it had been there. She had ignored it, not understanding it until the previous night at the springs. It was a creation of the Ellcrys, a tethering meant to force her and Allanon together, to take the Vows. Did he feel it too?

She followed the sensation like a vibrating cord, a bright red string that led her through the winding halls of the palace. The closer she got to Allanon, the more the imaginary cord vibrated and the more her heart fluttered.

She found herself and Aria in a long stretch of hall. It appeared as every other hallway in the palace; empty, decorated in gaudy runners and odd standing ornaments. However, something wasn't right about this particular hallway. The air felt wrong; constricted. Alessandra recognized the sinking in her chest as the heaviness of death. It always came as a weight that pushed down on her, threatening to engulf her like quicksand.

"Amita?" Aria called to her aunt, who held her hand firmly in her own. Alessandra said nothing in response and tried to prepare herself for what she needed to tell the girl. Aria shook their laced hands. "What's wrong?"

"It's a tomb, Aria." Alessandra could not avoid the truth, but somehow keeping her voice soft seemed to lessen the blow.

"A tomb? For dead people...?" Aria's small voice trembled. Alessandra looked down at her niece, whose face expressed how she was overcome with fright. Aria looked from her aunt to the open door down the hallway where a soft glow emitted. Alessandra took a knee, holding her niece's arms in her hands firmly and blocked her view of the room. She could see the terror setting in on the child's face and smiled to console her.

"I will go in. You can stay in the hall and wait for me." Alessandra understood the girl's emotion. Death was a hard thing for her. She had lost her parents only a few years ago when she was three. She had visited their tombs during the traditional End of Life ceremony hat Elementals performed. She had seen the corpses of her parents lying in their crypts and it had scarred her far worse than any of them had expected. Aria was an Elemental, but she had not been raised as such up to that point. Elemental children were taught from a young age that death was a natural part of life. It was something, not to be feared, but understood. Aria had been sheltered from death, from Elemental tradition and it been a hard lesson for her to learn so quickly.

She could see Aria liked the idea, but a flash of defiance overcame her. She swallowed hard and stood up straighter, trying to put on a tough face.

"I can do it." She breathed out and Alessandra smiled at her warmly, proud of her small feat of courage. However, she shook her head and tucked the sandy blonde hair behind her niece's ears.

"I know you can. You do not have to be strong today though. You can stay here." Alessandra stood up and walked closer to the room at the end of the hall, stopping a few feet before the door. She guided Aria to the wall and had her sit down, instructing her to wait there. Aria watched as her aunt slowly approached the doorway and peered inside, the glow from the room washing over her in flickers of orange and yellow light.

"What on Earth do you think you're doing?" Alessandra's voice was hard, biting as she strode into the room heatedly. The room was cold and made from stone with torches lit here and there sporadically. Flowers sat in large vases to mask the stench of decay that hung in the air. She saw a stone casket, opened and the corpse visible to all their eyes. It was a young man with night black hair and blue-grey skin, pointed ears; an elf.

Allanon turned around to face the intruder. Surprise washed over him when he found it was Alessandra. Her eyes bore into him, disbelief clouding them. He could feel her anger befall him in droves.

"What are you doing here?" Allanon's voice betrayed him, surprise echoing in each word as Alessandra strode up to him. He looked her over quickly, noticing that the shirt she wore covered up the burns from the boiling water he knew lurked beneath on her flesh. He could only see the slightest burns on her hands, the skin angry and puckered. Alessandra noticed his gaze and crossed her arms over her chest, hiding her hands from view.

"What am _I_ doing here? What are **you** doing here, Allanon?" Alessandra shook her head at him and took a quick moment to examine the room. It was cold despite the torches, unwelcoming despite the brightly colored flowers, and deafening despite the all-encompassing silence. The room itself felt like death and it crawled over her skin like a snake winding up the branch of a tree.

Allanon noticed this.

"You shouldn't be in here." He watched as her body constricted, craning her neck slightly to one side as though to crack it and relieve herself. His eyes followed along her body, noticing the small shiver that ran over her again. Pygmies were creatures of life and birth. Death was the opposite of them; an ending to their beginning, darkness to their light. Alessandra's face twisted briefly and dissipated quickly as she regained her composure.

"I'm fine." She lied and met his gaze with stubbornness. Another Pygmy trait.

"Who are you? Who is she? What is she doing here?" A younger man, dark hair and dark eyes, stared at her from where he stood at the head of the corpse. His gaze moved from her to Allanon and then back again with confusion. Alessandra glanced at the young man quickly, noticing how he seemed to cower and hunch, averting his eyes from her.

"My name is Alessandra. You must be Bandon." She introduced and then turned on Allanon again, shaking her head one more as her expression fell. Her heart lurched, melancholy gripping her. "Please, Allanon, tell me you aren't disturbing the dead."

"You have nothing to fear." Allanon laced his hands before himself in a posture Alessandra was beginning to understand well. His gaze befell the young man as he swung out one gloved hand in his direction. "I'm not. **He** is. I need his aid to discover the identity of the Demon that murdered the Chosen."

"This is about the Chosen?" Her expressed narrowed at him and suddenly something clicked in her head, making her shake. "Did you say a Demon killed them?"

"Yes. One that has been eluding my detection for days now." Allanon explained and returned his hands before himself, lacing them.

"Wait," Alessandra's eyes slowly drifted to the boy in the casket and she felt a pain strike through her heart, "was this boy a member of the Chosen?"

"Yes." Allanon breathed out, carefully watching her as the irritation bled from her and was replaced with anguish. He could see pain in her eyes, swirling with the deep pools of blue that appeared to run deep on into forever. He lowered his voice and took a step closer to her, "He was murdered by this Demon that is still running the halls of the Palace. Wil told me about Bandon's gift and I believe he might be able to help us."

"Us?" Alessandra narrowed her eyes at the Druid, suspicion growing within her. Was there something that the Ellcrys said to him? Alessandra motioned between them with a burned hand. "What _us_ are you referring to?"

"We have both been charged with protecting the Ellcrys. We need to stop this Demon from finishing off the Chosen." Allanon explained, patience growing thin.

 _The_ _ **us**_ _that keeps this world safe, woman. Whether it be an us as allies or something more._ – Allanon stressed inside his own mind. Alessandra looked to the boy standing at the head of the casket. Slowly she looked back to Allanon and he could see, sense almost, that somehow she already knew; about what they were doing, about Bandon's gift as a Seer, that he was hiding what the Ellcrys had told him.

 _But how?_ – Allanon questioned, but did not say anything more and instead waited. The two timeless beings remained locked in a battle with their eyes. Each silently waited for the other to cave to their will, searching in each other's depths for something; a hidden message, an emotion, confirmation.

"Seeing death is no gift." Bandon scoffed scornfully and stared down at the boy in the casket. Alessandra slowly, regretfully turned her attention back to Bandon. Her eyes expressed sympathy; deep rooted and sorrowful.

"So you truly are a Seer." Her voice was low and breathy as though she had no wanted to speak it aloud. "That is a very heavy weight to bear."

Bandon met her stare and Allanon watched as he spotted comradery in their gazes, each understanding one another. Bandon seemed to come out of his slouch, no longer cowering or hiding into himself. It made Allanon's lips curl into a small smirk, which he hid by turning away and acting as though he were in deep thought.

 _So, she does know everything._ – Allanon wanted to pull her aside and question her. Heavens above! There was so much he needed to speak to her about; Bandon, the Demon running around the palace, Amberle, the Seed, Safehold, the Elementals, her brothers, her niece, her Keeper, _them_. Oh, how he wanted to question her about the feelings he had begun to feel the night before, whether they were true or manifestations brought on by the Ellcrys, the sense that somehow they were connected on a deeper level, what he had been shown; _their future_. There was never a spare moment though to do so.

"Yes, he is a Seer. He doesn't just see death though. As I've already told him." Allanon moved about the casket to stand before Bandon and stared at him straight on without relent. "You see possibilities. Your parents didn't understand that... but I do."

 _He will understand._

The voice of the Ellcrys filled Alessandra's head and warmed her heart. Alessandra watched Allanon with a steady eye, listening to the change in his tone. He was comforting the boy, assuring him that his curse was really a gift. It was an odd, but pleasant security for her to see this side of him. It seemed that day by day, meeting by meeting, she was getting more glimpses such as these that conflicted with her knowledge of the Druids. She had sense the night before that his human side, those tendencies, were strong in him. After all, he had allowed himself to fall prey to love and a Druid never gave themselves the pleasure.

"My mentor, Bremen, was a Seer." Allanon continued and Alessandra quickly turned to look towards the door of the room, spotting Aria's small face peeking around the threshold. She had been listening intently to the Druid's words, hanging on each syllable as though they were meant only for her. Allanon stood tall before Bandon, who looked up at him from the corners of his eyes as though intimidated. "I watched as he walked the perilous ledge between darkness and light."

"We all walk that ledge." Alessandra breathed out and met Bandon's stare. She agreed now with what Allanon was doing, pushing this boy to give them the identity of the killer, but she didn't like it. Bandon watched her steadily, something in his gaze telling her he needed more than just the Druid's assurances. "I do every day. My people, the Elementals, found that the Pygmies or the Earth Elementals walked a very thin line between the dark and light. We are susceptible to darkness. More so than the others. Allanon as well. All Druids faced corruption because of the magic they wield. However, understanding how to control our gift makes it a little easier to keep our balance on that thin line."

Allanon watched Alessandra closely. Her words brought up memories from the vision the Ellcrys showed him; Dagda Mor, Alessandra's whole change in demeanor. Her eyes had turned bone chillingly white like fresh snow, pupils and all. From her hands, markings in white slithered up her arms and crawled up her neck to her face; intricate, beautiful, fierce designs. They reached her eyes and a surge of energy radiated from her, entering the earth beneath them. He had not recognized the sensation before, but he did now. She had allowed herself to fall prey to her own abilities. She had crossed over the line... but to which side?

"Allanon!" A high-pitched cry erupted from the hallway as two sets of footsteps came barreling into the tomb. Both Alessandra and Allanon broke from their stare and shot their attention towards the doors.

"Aria, come here." Alessandra breathed out and bent down, seeing her niece's surprised flinch at the voices. Aria ran to her aunt and jumped up into her arms. She wrapped her arms around Alessandra's neck and hid her face in the crook of her aunt's neck. Alessandra turned so that her niece's gaze couldn't befall the corpse in the casket. "Don't look."

Alessandra placed a hand to the back of Aria's head, holding her steadily under her rump with her other arm. The girl was small for her age and quite light, as all Sylphs were. Her sinewy legs wrapped around Alessandra's waist, securing herself there. Allanon caught Alessandra's gaze, the sight of the child frightened as much as she was troubling him.

Alessandra mouthed to him, _"her parents,"_ and he understood, looking to the corpse exposed in the casket. He remembered something Björn had said to him about the girl's parents being _nothing_ anymore. It made sense now. They were dead and the young girl was suffering over the sight of the dead boy.

"I tried to stop her." Wil announced as a girl, chestnut hair and fire in her eyes, pushed passed him into the tomb. She was dressed in a corset and tight leather riding pants, hair braided at the top middle of her head and falling about her shoulders.

"Please let the Chosen rest in peace, Allanon." She begged, looking from Bandon to the Druid. Her voice had fallen away from her as Alessandra recognized pain in her eyes. She had known the boy who now laid forever cold in his crypt.

"My plan is to save the Ellcrys and there will be no peace until that is done." Allanon's words were hard and firm. They held a finality to them that Alessandra did not agree with.

"I thought _I_ was here to save the Ellcrys and your duty was to the people." Alessandra spoke up before she could stop herself and challenged Allanon, stepping before Amberle as though to protect her. "Or are you playing Guardian now?"

The play on words, Guardian, held no meaning to the others in the room. Only she and Allanon understood her true meaning. He met her hard stare with his own and Alessandra could sense she was beginning to overstep. What did she care about the dead boy? What did she care about the last Chosen? Or was it because Allanon was seeming to take the words of the Ellcrys on blind faith and she found that so aggravating?

Alessandra suddenly softened, feeling Aria small body racking with cries. She tried to look down at the bundle in her arms and then resigned herself to rubbing her niece's back soothingly. She looked back at Allanon and saw that he too had softened upon hearing her cry.

"Lorin pledged himself to protect the tree, Amberle." Wil approached the last Chosen tentatively. The name that had passed his lips, _Amberle_ , caused Alessandra's gaze to snap around and land on the girl who approached the stone casket. Wil placed a half-gloved hand on her shoulder for comfort. "Let him help us, Amberle, please."

 _Amberle. Chosen. Safehold. Bloodfire. Seed. Rebirth._ – Alessandra recounted to herself, the Ellcrys having burned the words into her mind like a mantra. It made her mad to think of this tree as a puppet master, working them all to its own master plan.

"All we need are his last moments." Allanon breathed out, looking from Amberle to Alessandra, eyes venturing to Aria finally. Alessandra tightened her hold on the girl in her arms protectively, not against Allanon, but against the images of her dead parents laying in a similar fashion only a few years ago. Allanon watched the woman protecting the child from the nightmares that held her and slowly he turned to Bandon. "Look for the face of the killer."

Bandon moved to the side of the casket and reached out a tentative hand. He looked back at Alessandra, who nodded her head at him, and then to Amberle, who did the same. Bandon touched the corpse and his head flung backwards a pained gasp escaping his lips as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Is Bandon's gift hurting him? Will mine do that?" Aria's small voice rose up and she lifted her face from the crook of Alessandra's neck to peer out over her aunt's shoulder. She could not bear to look herself at Bandon, but could hear his pained gasps for air.

"No sweetheart. It was shock, like when your Patruus tries to scare you and you flinch." Alessandra explained, feeling her niece's tight muscles relax. She slumped in her aunt's arms and placed her chin back on her shoulder.

"I told you his ability is like mine." Aria's voice caught the attention of Allanon, whose eyes sauntered to the pair. "I can see the future too."

"Your gift is not the same as Bandon's." Alessandra laid her head gently against Aria's, cheek smushed slightly. "You are connected to other planes of existence, yes, like Bandon. However, because you are a Sylph you do not only see death."

"He sees only death?" Aria pulled back to stare at her aunt, her cheeks red and tear stained.

"No," Allanon's voice was deep, rumbling like thunder, but comforting like a summer's breeze. He turned to look at Aria, the girl too frightened to turn her head and catch sight of the corpse. Allanon instead looked to Alessandra, "possibilities young one. He sees possibilities. Every future, even one dealing with death, can be altered."

Alessandra allowed her eyes to linger on the man. His warm brown eyes heated her, comforted her in the same way they had the other night. It sent a spark of electricity through her at their intensity as though he was trying to set her alight.

Their stare was broken by Bandon. He gasped again and seemed to shoot backwards from the casket, hand over his chest. He tried to catch his shaky breath as though the wind had been knocked out of him. He bent over, hands on his knees and closed his eyes. He breathed heavily, trying to calm himself.

"What is it? What did you see?" Amberle questioned, rushing to Bandon's side and outstretching a hand towards him. She froze though as Bandon slowly rose straight and turned on her, eyes hooded and dark.

"It was her." He extended a condemning finger towards her, voice low. Amberle took a shaky step backwards, mouth agape and shaking her head.

"What?" Amberle gawked and took another step backwards, feeling threatened. Alessandra turned her gaze to Allanon, who met her stare briefly. She tightened her hold on her niece and gave Amberle and Bandon a wide birth.

"She had the knife," Brandon spat out and watched as Amberle took another step backwards from him towards Wil, "and the silver eyes."

"Silver eyes?" Alessandra snapped to Allanon again. They exchanged worried glances as the mention of silver eyes forced realization on them. There was only one creature with silver eyes as he described. A dark creature. One of pure evil with malice to match the devil himself.

"It wasn't her." Allanon's voice frightened Alessandra more than she already was. It was shaky, fear striking through him and reverberating through his tone into her. He looked away from her and downwards as his mind drifted. "It was a Changeling."

 _Changeling_ … – Alessandra repeated the name again, ice stopping her heart and filling her veins. Allanon raised his gaze to her and then the girl in her arms. They shook, but it was caused by only one of them.

"Alessandra," Allanon spoke up gently and moved closer to her, touching her free shoulder. His voice grew low so as not to include the others, "take the child to her uncle and barricade yourselves in a room. Do not open it until I arrive."

"No." Alessandra found the word escaped her quicker than it had registered in her own mind. She shook her head, long mane of golden hair swaying across her back. "No. I will go with you. If it truly is a Changeling, you will need help."

"I need you safe." Allanon's voice was stern, demanding, but his gaze was tender. The hand on her shoulder tightened, comfortingly and firm. "You have a duty to the Ellcrys. She is using you to channel energy to keep her strong."

 _I am safe with you._ – She found herself thinking, not wanting to leave his side suddenly. – _I don't care about the damned tree._

"I need to speak with the King. Now." Allanon released her shoulder and turned to Amberle and Wil. They nodded at him and turned to the doors that led to the hallway. Bandon met Allanon's stare and then followed after the others.

"Amita?" Aria's voice, small and frightened, called to her.

"I will take you to your Patruus." Alessandra explained, eyes rising to meet Allanon's stare. She could see the emotion swirling in his warm eyes; worry, determination, fierceness.

"Then you will help Allanon?" Aria pulled back from her aunt and stared at her straight in the face, but Alessandra's eyes were trained on the Druid. "Because that is our duty?"

"No. Because it is the right thing to do." Alessandra turned her head and smiled at her niece. She began walking towards the door of the room and caught Allanon's gaze as she passed him. Amongst the displeasure on his face, she could see gratefulness. She smiled warmly at him, eyes flaring with fire as she felt deep within her a spark of eagerness. It had been a while since she had done something other than act as a conduit for a great, sapient tree. She would revel in this chase.

"I will meet you in the Throne Room." Allanon told her as she passed him, watching her head out the door of the tomb and into the hallway. He turned back around and moved to the casket, pushing the heavy stone to cover the boy once more from view. He leaned against the stone and found his lips curling into a smirk at how much that woman could surprise him.


	11. Chapter 11

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~Throne Room~

Alessandra sat at the long dining table, hands fiddling with the amethyst crystal. She twirled it over and over in her fingers like a knifeman twirling his dagger with precision. It was a nervous act she had acquired as a child and over the centuries could not rid herself of. Her eyes fell lower, landing on the leather boots she had stolen from her brother. She had opted for their harder sole, more sturdier and would serve her better than the flimsy sandals she had been given to replace the ones she destroyed. They sat high on her calves and were quite fitted as Björn had sinewy limbs for a man. However, they were loose enough that she was able to slide her silver dagger in and its pressure was a welcomed comfort against her leg. She had taken the dagger from her room after ensuring that Aria to Björn were locked away safely. It was something she normally carried on her person at all times, but had nearly forgotten about with the chaos that ensued upon arrival at Arborlon.

Her eyes slowly rose and examined the others in the room carefully. The King was poised at the head of the table, standing with hands palm down on the surface as he took in whatever information he was being bombarded with. He looked old to her, weary in the eyes, as though time had not been quite so kind to him as stories may convey. He had grown fat in his old age and the switch of duty from the sword to the pen had worn him down. She could see the deep set worry lines that stretched across his forehead, crows feet at each corner of his eyes, and a set jaw that expressed his determination despite everything else.

Alessandra allowed her eyes to drift right where Bandon stood back behind the King and Wil. His hands fumbled over each other as he stood hunched again. His eyes were cast downwards, afraid to meet anyone's stare and appearing as though wishing to disappear. She looked him over, scenes from what Aria had shown her coming to mind. The mask, the chains, the screams... it was no surprise that he shied away from people. His gift was both a blessing and a curse. To see death in the people you touched, anyone you touched, was horrible. Alessandra couldn't imagine getting close to someone, loving someone, and then seeing their death in each touch. This boy, Bandon, was broken because of it. He was afraid, with good reason, but like Aria he only needed training to overcome it.

A movement from Wil broke Alessandra's concentration and she turned to look at him. He stood across the table, eyes trained on Amberle to her left. They exchanged worried glances. The Elemental saw something else though in Wil's eyes. It was not just worry, but worry _for_ Amberle. That look, that heartfelt piercing look, was one of love. He loved the Princess. Alessandra looked to the girl on her left, examining her closely. She saw emotion, but it was not love. It was concern regret.

"I cannot believe this _thing_ is running wild in my Kingdom." The King's low, booming voice rolled over the table and the room. He looked up from his end of the table and to Allanon, who stood at the opposite end with the Druid Codex open. Alessandra stared at the Druid, watching him meticulously turning the pages as he searched for answers in its depths. His warm, chocolate eyes drifted from left to right as he read the ancient markings of his people's language. Her eyes came to rest on the markings that were etched into his skin like brands, marring the flesh around his neck and head.

 _Druid magic._ – She realized, eyes running over the markings again. They were Druid rune symbols intended to give him strength. Alessandra looked down at her hands, examining the faded white marks that resided there. They were not harsh like his. Instead, hers were calming and only a decoration meant to mark her for what she was.

 ** _"Yours are not for the same purpose as my own, I imagine."_**

The voice inside her head startled her despite its calm, welcoming vibrato. She recognized it, but its presence had not been invited. She saw Allanon's eyes dart in her direction, catching her stare for a brief moment before he returned to his research.

 ** _"What kind of Druid trick is this?"_** Alessandra questioned, her voice not unpleasant or angry, but mystified.

 ** _"One my master taught me many centuries ago when the Druids were fighting amongst ourselves. When we needed to be able to communicate without unwelcomed ears."_** His voice fell away as though they were in a deep cavern, syllables echoing until they faded from existence. His voice rose again in the deep recess of her mind. **_"You have not answered my question."_**

 ** _"I did not hear a question asked."_** She bantered, knowing it would aggravate him. Her voice lifted through the darkness, the tunnel between their minds. It faded away briskly. She knew they did not have time for idle chitchat. So, why was he engaging her in it?

 ** _"Your markings,"_** his gaze dated over at her again and she placed her hands on the tabletop as she continued to fumble with the amethyst so that he could better see the faint white markings, **_"what are they for?"_**

 ** _"To show what I am."_** She answered simply.

 ** _"A Pygmy?"_**

 ** _"A Guardian."_** She corrected him. She could sense his confusion through this strange connection they shared. It was very different from the day before when she had allowed him free passage to roam her mind. That was as though her mind had been a maze of hallways and doors. He had access, but she was able to limit it. This felt more like they sat in a tunnel at opposite ends, an obstruction keeping each other's mind from view. Only their words could travel.

 ** _"Despite you being included into the secret that I am not a real Guardian,"_** She began again, hearing her own voice lilt and drift away into the distance, **_"my people do not yet know. They believe I am a full Guardian."_**

 ** _"Where do they believe your Keeper is?"_** Allanon's gaze rose to meet hers; fierce and piercing. **_"If they revere you, as Björn explained, then you must have lied."_**

 ** _"They need hope. That lie, my lie, is a comforting façade. My people are desperate, Druid. We are at the brink of extinction. I am the last chance we have at survival."_** Alessandra's tone had gotten severe as she met his stare with one of her own; just as fierce and just as penetrating. This was not what she wanted to discuss with him. There were other topics that would make this conversation a moot point if only she could explain everything.

 ** _"Your markings,"_** Allanon understood in her voice that she did not wish to speak on the matter. It was a sore subject that obviously was a searing open wound. He did not want to add insult to injury. Especially, seeing the fire burning within her and feeling the heat coursing through the connection of their minds, ** _"they are fading."_**

 ** _"Yes."_** She replied and looked over his own markings. **_"So are yours."_**

Allanon had no reply. Their eyes locked, each having caught the other in some tangle of truth and lie. Her markings, though fading, were nothing of real life-threatening consequence. His markings, the source of his power, were however.

 ** _"As your markings fade, so does your magic."_** She spoke again, but once more he left her in silence. He adverted his gaze back to the Codex and turned the aged pages.

 ** _"We should speak later on these matters. There are other more pressing issues at hand."_**

 ** _"Certainly Druid."_** Her tone was challenging as her gaze fixated on his form, piercing through this wall she recognized within him. **_"If only you can make time for me in your ever-busying schedule. There are things the Ellcrys wishes for me to tell you."_**

Allanon says nothing in response to her and she wondered if he had broken off whatever magic he had been using to communicate with her. His eyes were cast downwards into the Codex, scanning left to right as his gloved fingers turned the thick pages.

"What is this beast we face, Allanon?" The King questioned, straightening himself at the end of the table near Alessandra. Her eyes turned to him, looking at him briefly before she turned her attention to the amethyst crystal. She turned it round and round in her fingers, watching the dying light of the sun catch it.

"A Changeling. It is an ancient Demon." Allanon's voice was careful as he picked up the Druid Codex, opened to a certain page that depicted the creature and took a deep breath. "It is a shape-shifter that can inhabit the form of any being it chooses."

"That explains how it's been able to hide in the palace." Wil commented, bouncing gently from one foot to the other with anxiousness. Allanon walked towards the King, behind Wil, with the Codex in hand and placed the book on the table. The image of the beast was horrid; flesh being pulled from skull to reveal its true form. Alessandra gripped the crystal tightly in her right palm so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"That _thing_ killed Lorin." Amberle's voice quaked with hate, regret, and pain as she stared at the artistic rendition of the creature on the page. She shook her head from side to side and then turned to pace. "The Ellcrys was trying to warn me... and I **ran**."

The group was quiet for only a moment as the weight of her words settled around them. Alessandra lifted her gaze and met Allanon's stare.

 _Puppet master this tree is. Manipulative. Deceitful. –_ she knew not whether Allanon could hear her words this time, but she didn't care either way. Her dislike of the sapient tree was growing. It was _good_ , Alessandra understood that, but it was using them for the end goal of saving the Four Lands and itself... and being used no matter the reason felt good and instead left a bitter taste on the tongue.

"If you had not run," Alessandra raised her gaze to the girl whose eyes held tears, "then you would have joined their fate. Do not doubt your instincts, Princess. They kept you alive."

"Alessandra is right." The King's solid, rumbling voice agreed with Alessandra. His eyes followed his granddaughter as Amberle shook her head and paced slightly. "You would be dead by now and all hope would be lost. All the Chosen would be dead and so would the last defense; the Ellcrys."

Amberle scoffed, shaking her head again as heavy tears rolled down her cheeks. Alessandra turned to watch Wil, who watched the young Princess with compassion and desire to comfort her. She could see the desire to lurch across the table and to take her in his arms as his eyes burned with emotion. He understood, though, that she was a princess. She was the last Chosen. He needed to keep a fair distance for Amberle to complete what she must do.

"Now the demon" the King spoke up again, eyes traveling to the others in the room. "does not know that we are aware of its existence. That could work to our advantage."

"Do not be so sure, King." Alessandra interrupted and looked to Eventine. No malice was within her words nor her stare. Just calm resolve and understanding. "Demons can be quite crafty. This Changeling has already proved to be far more clever then ourselves and it has a desire for bloodshed that is severe."

"Are you saying it already suspects we know about its existence?" The King challenged her, but she took his anger and matched it with calm determination.

"No, Eventine." Alessandra answered honestly and met his hard stare. "I believe it might know, but I am merely saying we cannot _afford_ to assume it does not suspect anything. It can alter itself into any form; man, elf, dwarf, or other. The possibilities are virtually limitless. That makes this situation delicate. One wrong step and everything we have been working for is over."

Allanon watched the Elemental carefully as she looked away to focus on the table again. She tapped the amethyst gently against the thick wood as her mind worked. He could see she was thinking things over, formulating plans.

"We must be overly careful." She breathed out, tapping of the crystal becoming lighter. "It has already shown us its cruelty and savagery. It has murdered all but one of the Chosen and that was only because of a fluke that it did not succeed in ending them all. We **need** to stay one step ahead of it now for all our sakes. As of right now, the odds are in the Changelings favor."

"And what do you suggest?" Allanon questioned her, coming round the King and standing close to her. He stared down at her as he gently rested his left gloved hand on the table, blocking her line of sight from that of the King's. She met his stare and her features contorted, eyes narrowing in distaste of the thought rolling around in her mind.

"You're not going to like it." She breathed out in a heavy sigh that expressed she did not fancy it herself. Taking another deep breath, she trudged onwards. "The Changeling was sent here, obviously, to stop the Chosen. They alone can give the Ellcrys a rebirth with its Seed by traveling to Safehold and giving it to the Bloodfire. Yes, we all agree?"

Alessandra looked around the room at her comrades. She did not know whether she were correct or not. It was a gut feeling, but upon seeing several heads nod she understood the pieces now that were falling into place. She noticed Allanon's narrowed glance, his features begging her to explain her knowledge of the subject.

"Well," Alessandra ignored Allanon's stare and paused again as she looked away, bobbing her head from side to side. Her mind was still racing forward and she was trying to keep pace, "we still have one of the Chosen left."

"Me." Amberle's voice was hollow as she looked to the older woman with disbelief. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "You want to use me as bait."

"Want? No. Feel there is a need? Yes." Alessandra did not hide her displeasure at her own plan, but it seemed the only route they could take. "It would certainly draw the creature out from hiding behind these facades and if we can lure it out, we can defeat it. So long as the thing is able to hide from us, the more challenging it is to locate and destroy."

"She is the **last** of the Chosen." Allanon scolded Alessandra, but she saw in his eyes that this was the only plan that made sense. "We are not offering her up as bait. Think again."

"Without drawing the beast out on our terms, we fair little against it. You know this, Allanon." Alessandra argued against him, turning in her seat to face him fully. She stared up into his intimidating presence, but matched it with hard eyes of set determination. "It can cloak itself behind whatever guise it steals. Common folk, peasants, maids, soldiers, knights, even the king himself. We need to draw it out now and stop it before it becomes more powerful. Every skin it steals means one more face it can hide behind."

"What do you mean every _skin_ it steals?" Wil leaned onto the table, palms flat against the solid surface. Alessandra looked to the boy and sighed heavily, not wanting to explain. His eyes begged her for knowledge and she found herself inwardly scoffing as how easily she could be broken down.

"It can only use the faces of those it has killed. Meaning, once dead the Changeling takes their skins, their faces, and claims them as their own. They can use them freely and as often as they like." Alessandra explained and placed her hands into her lap with the amethyst still in her fingers. "Which makes it an incredibly dangerous foe. Especially in a place where there are hundreds of people roaming around close quarters."

"We are not using the princess as bait. That is **final**." Allanon grumbled down at Alessandra, who whipped her head back to him. She could not believe his stubbornness.

"You are as stubborn as an ox, Druid. How many Changelings have you fought against in your lifetime? How many have any of your kind fought and lived?" She challenged him, feeling bitterness bubbling up within her from centuries of Elemental and Druid fueled disagreement. He stood silent against her questioning and only stared at her.

"I have faced one." Alessandra threw up a single digit in the hand that clasped the amethyst. She jostled the digit as she tried to reign in her anger. "Just one... and it did not end pretty. People die when they are skulking around. Horrible, nightmarish ways. Torn apart limb from limb or flayed. Good people. _Innocent_ people."

The Throne Room is quiet. Songbirds outside call for the setting sun that sunk lower in the sky. Alessandra's eyes, hard and set, bore into Allanon's. He questioned her knowledge, her truth. Had she really fought a Changeling before? Her eyes swore she did and her bitter tone instructed him to believe her as he had never faced one himself. Nor had his mentor. His knowledge came from others. The ancient Druid of times passed who wrote their experiences and methods in books and on parchments. Experience had to win out over learnt knowledge. For the safety of them all.

"The more time we waste arguing the more blood it spills." Alessandra's voice was firm. More so than Allanon had heard ever before since their first meeting. She was determined like an old crooked tree that refused to release its roots and topple over. He felt his lips beginning to curl into a smirk.

"So, I say we need to draw it out." Alessandra continued and looked away towards the others. "We need to face it on **our** terms. The longer we hide the Chosen away, the more identities will be stolen. That will only make this daunting task ever more challenging and risk failing on all fronts."

"We are not using the princess." Allanon reiterated, voice low, but losing his fortitude. She made sense. Everything she told them **made sense**. Alessandra stood up from her seat and stood before him fully. She was shorter than him, forehead to his lips, but met his hard stance with one of her own. She was unafraid and confident in herself, her abilities. The tension in the room grew thick and heavy like molasses as the Elemental and Druid glowered at one another. They were like rams bashing their antlers into one another, hoping for the other to back down. Neither was willing to though either rout of stubbornness or pride.

"What if we use a decoy?" Wil suddenly spoke up, eyes moving from Druid to Elemental and then back again. "Someone with nothing to lose."

"Eretria will never help us." Amberle scoffed at the idea and shook her head of chestnut waves. Wil met her aggravated gaze and felt himself shrink away.

"She **will**. If it's in her own self-interest." Wil concluded and looked to the King for appraisal. The King mulled it over for a moment and then looked to Alessandra and Allanon, who had not come out of their battle of gazes. He could see similarities in the two; stubbornness, sense of duty, knowledge, goodness, a desire to help. How similar they were almost made the King laugh outright. Allanon had finally met his match and in the form of a beautiful woman.

"Good." The King's voice reverberated around the Thorne Room like a chime. It called Alessandra and Allanon from their battle, requiring their attention. "Now, go convince _her_."

Allanon took a step back from Alessandra, turning away from her and towards the Codex that lay open on the table. He reached low to pick it up, eyes rising to stare daggers at Wil for interfering. Wil shrugged and Allanon moved away again, book in steady hands.

"You, Elemental." Allanon ordered to Alessandra. "You're coming with me. We have other matters to discuss."

She turned her gaze upwards in her sockets and took a deep breath. She sighed her frustrations out heavily before picking herself up from the chair and turning to push it back into the table.

"Be patient with him, my dear." Eventine's voice caused her to turn around and face the old king. "While he has been in the Druid Sleep for the last thirty years, he never did have much sense when it came to delicate matters. Especially those involving his human heart."

Alessandra was confused for a moment and narrowed her eyes at him.

"As a Druid, they are taught to cut themselves off from the world. Isolate themselves so they can be practical. Allanon was a different man before the Durids claimed him as one of theirs. He has always clung to his human side, but that puts him at odds with the Druid he has been taught to be. It makes him..."

"Aggravatingly altruistic?" She suggested, and the King returned her notion with a gentle chortle. He nodded his head, smile spreading across his lips.

"Woman! We don't have much time!" Allanon's voice roared from the hallway and she shook her head. Alessandra turned away from the king, eyebrows knitted together and looked over her shoulder at the elf once more. He stood tall, hands behind his back and chest puffed out in regal fashion.

"Is he to be trusted?" Alessandra found herself curious as to the king's belief. He pondered the question a moment, mulling over the idea and the term.

"Allanon has always had trouble seeing the few instead of the many. It makes him appear as though he has his own agenda. I promise you however that he only means the best."

"You didn't answer my question, king." Alessandra turned her head slightly, eyes narrowing again at him.

"Yes. My trust in him has never wavered." Eventine admits, standing straighter. She nodded her head at him, satisfied with the answer. She then followed after Allanon through the hallways. He did not speak and neither did she, too distracted by her own thoughts. She only followed behind him as he led her to her own chambers, not bothering to wait for her to open the door, but standing back to allow her first entrance

Alessandra walked into her room with Allanon close behind her, hearing him close the door once they were inside. She thrust her hair, tied still in a high ponytail, from her shoulder and felt it slap her backside. She stalked to the balcony, threw open the doors and bathed in the rising moonlight. The sun barely peeked out from its position on the horizon.

She breathed heavily. Once... hold… release. Twice... hold... release... Thrice... she felt everything washing away. Her aggravation. Her fear. She felt worry cling though. An unwanted guest in the back of her mind.

Allanon watched her from the middle of her room, hand still gripping the Codex. Her hands gripped the knobs of the doors. Her back was straight and form steady. She tilted her chin up with closed eyes, allowing the moon's light to wash over her as the sun blinked from existence.

"We need to speak." Allanon's voice was rough, hurried as though this was a troublesome matter he would rather postpone.

"We have other matters at hand." Alessandra tried to give him, as well as herself, a way out. Now that they were alone, had made time to speak about everything, she wanted to shy away. "We should make ready for the Changeling."

"Wil and Amberle need to convince the Rover that portraying herself as the princess is in her best interest first. **Then** we can make ready." His voice had risen and then slowly fell as he resigned himself back to a calm nature. Alessandra could sense the worry within him. It rolled over him like sap over a bug on a tree; encasing, entombing. "We have a small window of opportunity to speak. We should take it."

"What would you like to speak about then, Druid?" She turned and looked back at him, features softening as the moonlight formed a soft spotlight on her.

"I want to understand," he corrected, keeping to where he stood firmly at the center of her room. "as you seem to."

" _Understand_ …" Alessandra licked her lips slowly as she decided on what her next move would be. She looked back out into the night and felt the tension in her shoulders dissipate as she gave in.

"Come sit with me, Allanon." She spoke softly, breath on the breeze of the night as she walked out onto the balcony. She pulled herself onto the stone railing and positioned herself so that her back rested against a large stone pot that was fused to it. She patted the seat beside her on the ledge. "I hope we have long enough to get through it all now. I do hate interruptions."

Allanon moved to the balcony and leaned back against the ledge. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, turned his head left and watched the Elemental as she bathed in the moonlight.

"Forgive me, usually Björn is the better with things like this. He has a way with words. I prefer to turn inwards." She cast a smug smile in the Druid's direction. "Where would you like for me to begin?"

"When did your kind come to be?" Allanon asked, sensing her resolve faltering as though this was not what she had expected him to question her on. She had wanted to speak with him and he with her, but she had other things she wished to converse on; more pressing matters; more meaningful matters. They had time now. Sparse as it may be, but enough to clear up some things and if her people's existence was what he was most concerned with, then she would honor his curiosities.

"That is an easy one. We have **always** existed. Despite what those elven fools claim." Alessandra gave a small, scathing laugh and shook her head at the question. "Elves always think they are the first at everything, but unlike them we had not needed to hide back in the beginning. We lived peacefully alongside the World of Men back before the great calamity."

Allanon could not hide the smirk that threatened to creep onto his lips. The fire he saw in the woman's eyes so suddenly, the look of taunting, was almost endearing on her. It was a change from the sad, broken woman he had conversed with the last few days. This was fresh and new and enticing.

"Back then, the Elementals kept to themselves, separated by their individual abilities. Pygmies lived in the woods, the forests, fields, mountains. We had most of the physical earth to ourselves because we were the first and we were the strongest. Then the Undines took to the rivers, lakes, waterfalls, oceans. Sylphs were sneaky, able to move around wherever they damn well pleased. Salamanders were confined to volcanoes, lightning storms, and the fires humans burned in their hearths. Mainly because they were unpredictable."

Allanon watched her with a steady eye as she looked down at her hands in her lap. She rubbed her fingers over the faint white markings and the burns that lingered from the springs. Her skin was puckered and an angry shade of red. They pained her, but her face did not portray it. It was in her eyes; swirling blue orbs that hid everything about her. Allanon wished he had brought her the salve in his room. It would have healed them much quicker than her abilities seemed to be doing. Which appeared naught at all.

Alessandra noticed his gaze on her damaged hands and crossed her arms over her chest, hiding her burns from view.

"Back when there used to be more of us, a long time before the Great Wars, Guardians did not need a Keeper. We had free reign, our powers were stronger, but now things have changed." Alessandra looked out at the stars longingly and leaned her head back against the large pot behind her. Her voice had grown ariose as she continued, trudging ahead. This was not where his question had meant to lead, but it was where she was going to bring it. She _needed_ to push him towards this direction, down this path. The Ellcrys had made it incredibly obvious that they needed to discuss this and now.

"Your brother claims that every Guardian needs a Keeper who is their equal and opposite." Allanon remembered Björn's words clearly in his head. The words of the siblings confused him. They were at odds with one another.

"Yes, that is true _now_. When our kind began to be hunted, the conditions for Guardians were altered. It became necessary to pair a Guardian with a Keeper for protection of the Guardian lineages; to ensure that the Guardians would survive and thus the race of Elementals. The Keeper is not always another Elemental though. There have been gnomes, trolls, elves, dwarves, and humans who have taken up that duty." Alessandra turned her head and looked out over the balcony to the trees as her mind drifted away. She had not thought about these things in centuries.

"Guardians are never just women either." She looked over at him briefly, gauging his reaction. "If you have a male Guardian, he needs a female Keeper who is comparable in skill and energy. If the Keeper is another Elemental, they must be the Guardian's opposite; water to fire, air to earth, earth to water, fire to air. There has to be a balance. The Keeper needs to be able to keep the Guardian under control when their abilities become too much."

"Too much?" Allanon noticed the change in her tone. It had dropped as though she had not meant to say what she had.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Alessandra met his stare, eyes jerking away left and right before returning to him once more. "We are not above being corrupted. Keepers are supposed to quell the darkness, keep us from falling prey to it."

They fell into a gentle silence. The small chirps of crickets and the hoots of owls filled the air.

"You spoke of a Keeper... when you came out of the Ellcrys." His voice was calm, low like the start of a great thunderstorm as it rolled over hills and valleys. Alessandra watched him carefully, not quite sure what his words meant or where his train of thought was heading. Allanon met her stare. "You said the Ellcrys told you that you needed a Keeper."

"Yes." Alessandra admitted, recounting all the great sapient tree had told her over the last few days. What a whirlwind it had all been. "She did. Many times in fact. She is very adamant about it too. Said I needed to find my Keeper and become a Guardian."

"Why is that?" Allanon found himself reaching towards her, trying to anticipate what she would say next. Her mind, though, was barricaded to him. Had the Ellcrys told her something similar? Did she already know what he knew?

"I assume it is because once I become a Guardian, my abilities grow exponentially. You can thank your ancestors for that, Druid. They were the ones who put the stipulation on Guardians needing Keepers."

 _This_ , he did know. This was one of the few things he had learned about the Elementals during his studies centuries ago. There was always a record of the beings the Druids had needed to interfere with. It was both for recollection, for study, and for their own egos.

"My abilities will solidify into something more tangible." She explained, not quite understanding it herself. She had been told, time and time again, about becoming a Guardian. It had been drilled into her head like nail through wood. Yet, she still didn't understand what it meant. "As I am, I can only channel the energy as _it_ sees fit. When I become a Guardian, supposedly, I will have the ability to use the energy as **I** see fit instead."

"Instead of being a conduit, an item to channel the energy, you will be a source of power yourself." Allanon understood perfectly. She was similar to any conduit that was touched by magic. Channel it until completely imbued, then become the source of power with no need for constant connection.

"Precisely." Alessandra could see understanding etched across his features. It was in the way his body straightened before her and hands clasped before him, one hand holding opposite loosely.

"What else did the Ellcrys say to you?" Allanon took a careful step closer to her and the stone railing, robes swaying heavily and _thwapping_ against his legs.

"She kept telling me that **we** still had time." Alessandra motioned to herself and him with a pointer finger. "I assumed she meant about saving her and stopping Dagda Mor."

"And?" Allanon sensed there was more. Sensed that she was holding something back now. Alessandra took a deep breath and rolled her head back and forth, looking up at the starry sky.

"She said I need to take my Vows and become who I was meant to be." Alessandra let her gaze fall to her hands in her lap. "She also mentioned that there was another traveling the same path as myself."

Her words, she had hoped, would force a reaction out of the Druid. Instead, his emotions were kept hidden well behind that wall she felt he had put up against her. He met her gaze, eyes locking on each other as their emotions swirled and clashed. He turned his head away as he became lost to his own thoughts.

"Allanon?" She questioned, but he ignored her. His eyes lingered on the stones of the balcony floor. An image of the flower, the Stargazer, flashed before her mind from the recess of her memory. She narrowed her eyes at his visage. "What did the Stargazer mean to you?"

His eyes immediately found hers, but he remained silent in his flabbergast. Something crept up on her like frost coating grass in early winter. Her eyes narrowed further in pointed condemnation at him.

"You have seen the flower before, Druid." She breathed out and could see in his eyes that she was correct. A little voice in the back of her mind screamed at her, told her to remember what the Ellcrys had said to her. The sapient tree had not explicitly told her that he did or did not know, but that he was different and would understand.

But... did he already suspect? Had the Ellcrys given him similar, surreptitious information as she had done with her? Did he _know_ what he was supposed to be to her? Had he known the whole time?

"Where have you seen it?" She questioned him, but he said nothing. Alessandra sat up straight and swung her legs over the railing so her feet hovered above the stone floor of the balcony. "Allanon, what does the flower mean to you?"

"Yes, I have seen it before." His voice was low, waves crashing against rock. She noticed his body tensed, his gaze averted, but then he met her stare. His was hard, resolved, but she could see aching as though she had dug a finger into a wound. "It plagued me for a time... and acted as a beacon to hold onto while lost to the darkness."

"Lost…? To the darkness?" Alessandra's voice was breathy, warm in the chill of the spring night. She watched him as he turned away from her, robe swaying as he went. His shoulders were tense and broad, robe across them taut. Her eyes briskly scanned over the etching in his skin around his scalp as his words bleed into her mind. "...what darkness?"

"It was the Druid's Sleep." Allanon ran a gloved hand over his mouth and chin as he thought back to that time; the limbo. The flower had called to him. It had held him. It had brought him back. Now, here it was again doing the same thing and more. Had it been her all along? She was an Elemental, a Pygmy, was the flower some kind of symbol of her? Had it been her calling to him all those years?

Alessandra watched him carefully as he kept his back to her. The air shifted and she sensed his unease. She knew his mind was racing away from him. She slid herself off of the stone railing and her feet softly landed on the cobble balcony. She moved closer to him, standing off at his side as she tried to catch his gaze.

"Something is happening, Allanon. Something much greater than you or I realized." Her voice held a slight tinge of worry. He slowly turned to meet her stare with big brown eyes that reminded her of rich soil. It was a comfort she welcomed. He too appeared to share her feeling of worry and unease.

"Some force brought me to you in the forest that day." She shook her head as though not wanting to believe it, not wanting to believe the Ellcrys still. She was losing this battle. "A force I have not felt since the War of Races ended. It's been thirty years since I have felt this; a pull on my heart."

"Thirty years...?" Allanon's ears perked up at this and his whole demeanor changed instantly. He was completely on edge now, body going rigid as though a jolt of pain had hit him. Alessandra was confused, and her features expressed it.

"Yes." Alessandra found herself beginning to question him, watching as he took to pacing slowly from left to right across her balcony. His robes swayed and _thwapped_ as he moved. His boots fell heavy and thumped against the cobble floor. Her eyes narrowed in question again as her gaze followed his movements. "Is that somehow significant to you?"

He stopped suddenly and his back was to her again. He straightened and stared out at nothing in the darkness of the night.

 _How can this be? –_ He thought to himself. He understood destiny. He understood coincidence. How could this be his? It was too... _perfect_. Slowly he turned to face her, eyes landing on her face. She watched him carefully, her narrowed eyes softening as though becoming worried for him; about him. Suddenly, he felt acceptance. As the moonlight struck her, causing her hair to almost glow, cheeks red from exasperation, and eyes large and blue like sapphires, she resembled that damned flower. She **was** that damned flower.

"I awoke from my Druid Sleep just a few days ago." Allanon began, not truly speaking to her, but trying to gather his thoughts as the gears in his mind began to turn.

"Druid Sleep...?" Alessandra's tone conveyed her confusion yet again and then she remembered the King's words. He too had mentioned this sleep. "Is it magic? A curse? Had someone truly cursed you in such a way? Why?"

She felt herself growing more worried, more anxiety ridden. Allanon, however, felt his worries and anxiety flowing out of him. His tensed shoulders relaxed as he watched Alessandra soak up his emotions like a sponge.

"It is a state the Druids place ourselves in for a time where we are rejuvenated and our lives prolonged. We cannot resist its call when it beckons us." Allanon explained calmly, though she could sense something deeper growing within him.

"But you were bleeding out when I found you. You were awake. Had something happened while you slumbered? Or was it within your slumber and come true as you awoke?" Alessandra challenged, but could see instantly in his gaze that she had not found him at the time of his awakening. He had already awakened by the time she came across him.

"I awoke from the sleep in the caves of Paranor." Allanon corrected her, staring down into her deep pools that reflected the soft white glow of the moon's light. He moved closer to her, staring down at her. He realized then how small she appeared, head only coming to his chin.

"Why? Did someone wake you?" She could sense, feel in her heart that something was wrong. A Druid woken from a sacred sleep, her finding him bloodied and near death by a sensation she had not felt in thirty years. Something was desperately wrong. She understood, but she wanted to be wrong. Please, oh please, elders let her be wrong! This was too much. She just wanted to go home, take her niece and flee all of this. The responsibility was crushing her.

Allanon could see this. He saw her shoulders slump as a great weight planted itself on her. He saw the tiredness in her eyes.

"It was the same being that had called you; the Ellcrys." It was all he need say for her to feel her heart fall. The puppet master... The Ellcrys had been working their strings for much longer than she had originally thought. Years... decades... how long had the Ellcrys truly been tugging on her?

"The Druid Sleep cannot sustain one forever, but I was called forth from it by the Ellcrys." Allanon continued, feeling a sensation in his hands to reach out to her. So, he did. He placed a heavy, gloved hand on her shoulder and she looked down, shaking her head.

"I would certainly hope it couldn't sustain one forever." Alessandra scoffed and sighed heavily. She scratched her forehead gently in frustrated thought. She didn't like being toyed with as the Ellcrys was doing now; had been doing. Her whole life she had felt powerless, not in control of her life, now it seemed she knew why. Destiny... fate... whatever anyone wanted to call it. She couldn't escape it. And it seemed, neither could he. Their destinies were entwined now. They always had been.

"Why do you say this?" His tone was not angry, nor was it concerned. He was curious of her answer alone. He had his own feelings for the sleep, his own hatred of its overwhelming call. His hand on her shoulder squeezed gently as he would to Wil when the boy was needing encouragement; strength.

"Life is not meant to be prolonged in such a state." Alessandra waved a hand absent mindedly as she broke free of his hold. She paced, hand returning to her hip to match the other and place her in akimbo. "It is meant to be **lived** and then _end_. Nothing in this world lasts forever. Except, seemingly, my fate."

"Yes, except for you." Allanon's words sent a spike through her heart. Her pacing ceased on the spot and she felt herself waver before him. He returned his hands before him, clasping one wrist again. "The Ellcrys showed you the future where you would live forever."

"Yes. Alone and in sorrow. That is my destiny." Alessandra spoke the words aloud, feeling them grip her heart in an icy clasp.

"Why?" Allanon asked before he could stop himself. He was becoming careless and needed to reel himself back in. They were off topic. There were things they needed to discuss. More important matters to handle. He was curious though; about the Elementals, the Guardians, the Pygmies, her. He wanted to know her; everything, all, good and bad.

"There is a reason Earth Guardians have not existed for centuries." Her voice was bitter and sharp like a poisoned blade. One wrong move, one wrong word, and she would pierce him without intending to. "Undines are emotional. Sylphs are flighty. Salamanders unpredictable. But Pygmies... we are uncontrollable."

"I don't understand." Allanon knitted his eyebrows together and shook his head at her. She moved to sit down in one of the chairs on the balcony, sitting in it sideways and ran her hands over her face.

"Pygmies are powerful from a very early age. We have a connection with the energy that the others do not share. We are grounded in the same ways, thrive in the same ways. We are two sides of the same coin and that means we can feed off each other with no boundaries." She continued to explain raising her face from her hands and staring at the balcony floor. She moved her hands up and pushed them into her hair. "Sometimes... we lose ourselves in the energy."

Allanon felt a chill run up his arms and down his spine. The air shifted and brought with it a cool breeze that lapped at his cheek. He watched her with careful eyes. He sensed something was wrong with her. She was admitting something that he was certain she shouldn't. It was a truth that he knew she had needed to lie about. So why tell him? Why now?

"What I am," she began again and met his stare. He saw tears swell in her eyes as he registered pain as it crossed her features. He moved closer and dropped to one knee before her, taking her hands from her head where she tugged her hair painfully. He held them in her lap and tried to force her to meet his gaze. She avoided his stare, but allowed the touch, "Pygmy and Guardian... they are at odds with one another for some reason **all the time**."

Alessandra closed her eyes, feeling the war waging within her even now. She had gotten very good over the centuries at ignoring it, becoming numb to it. It was always there though; deep beneath the surface.

"I constantly feel myself at war, being pulled one direction and then the other. Both strong, but different, offering different things." She opened her eyes and met his stare. "Promising different things."

"What happened to the other Pygmies? The other Earth Guardians?" Allanon felt something dark creep over him, slithering like a serpent that threatened to constrict the life out of his heart. He had a sense he understood his own questions, knew the answers, but he needed to hear it. It was too awful too think about. He needed confirmation.

 _Did the Ellcrys know about all of this? If so, why then? –_ he thought heatedly as his hold on Alessandra's hand tightened.

"There hasn't been an Earth Guardian in thousands of years. They grow too powerful and they succumb to it. They turn dark." Alessandra's voice broke away. This was not what she wanted to speak about. How had their conversation gotten here? Why? Why did he make her relive this, expose herself like this?

"Pygmies who show signs of Guardianship are murdered as babes." She turned her head towards the railing and looked through its rungs into the trees. "The _only_ reason I escaped was because of my brothers. They stole me away from parents who were all too willing to feed me to the wolves and raised me in secret in a village far south of here near the Vale."

She couldn't meet his gaze. Why was she admitting all this? Was it the work of the Ellcrys again?

 _No. –_ She thought to herself. _– You want him to know. You want him to understand, for someone to understand._

"This is so wrong." She felt the words leave her before she could stop them. Once they had left, she felt the last of her resolve crumble. Tears burned her eyes and blurred her vision. "I cannot do what the Ellcrys demands of me."

"What did the Ellcrys demand?" Allanon lifted a gloved hand and brushed away the tears from her cheek. Alessandra pushed his hand away and wiped her own tears from her eyes, her cheeks, her chin.

"It's not the illness nor the fear, you know." Her voice was soft, almost as though afraid of itself. She felt the war within her barrage her like a stampede. She felt a chill spread over her, squeezing her heart. "It's the heart wrenching sadness... so great that it feels as though it may swallow me whole. That will be my undoing and the Ellcrys does not care. She takes and demands without concern of the damage it will leave in the wake."

"It may not always be so. The future is ever-changing." Allanon understood now where her mind had gone. The prophecy of her future. However, the Ellcrys had shown him something different. Something much more than the darkness and suffering she saw in her future. He had seen hope, laughter, light... love.

"The Ellcrys demanded you become my Keeper." Alessandra blurted it, no restraint in her left and only slight. Allanon said nothing. He already knew this. The Ellcrys had been very clear with him. "The Last Druid and the Last Guardian, oh what a pair we would make."

"Would?" This caught him off guard.

"No matter what the Ellcrys _demands_ , I will not force anyone into something so permanent and doomed." Alessandra scoffed and looked away from him away as fresh tears burned her eyes, trailing hotly down her cheeks. "There is no future with me. My fate is sealed. My people will perish with me left to linger."

"No fate is sealed." Allanon argued, sensing she was tail spinning.

"Mine is. Always has been." Alessandra looked back to him, her eyes begging him to comfort her. He couldn't... the Druid in him fought hard against his human instincts. He had other things to concern himself with. But the Ellcrys had made its demand, made it clear what it expected of him. Was that not just as important? ...was she not just as important? He was torn again; Druid fighting for dominance against Human.

"You are wrong, Alessandra." His tone was soft, hands clenching as he stood up straight. Alessandra shot up following him.

"How do you know, Druid?!" She shouted at him, tears falling from her jaw. She was turning venomous. She was angry, but he understood not with him. With the Ellcrys, with her life, with what she had been promised the future would hold.

 _Why had the Ellcrys not shown her? -_ He was upset by this. The Ellcrys had shown them both something different. Alessandra saw a never-ending life of sorrow, pain, and loneliness. He had seen the opposite. Would it not have been easier if they had been promised the same thing?

"Alessandra?" Allanon noticed she had closed her eyes so tightly that her face scrunched. She appeared in pain, hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles were going white. The white... spread. Like long tendrils, it seemed to creep up her hands, creating intricate designs on her burned flesh and continued slowly up her wrist.

"What is happening?" He watched the white tendrils disappear under her sleeves. He felt something in the air; static, a tingling. It crawled over his skin and brought forth gooseflesh.

 _She is losing control. –_ He surmised as he watched Alessandra turn her back to him, shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths.

 _She cannot protect the Ellcrys._

 _She cannot protect you._

 _She cannot even protect herself._

The words of Dagda Mor resounded in his head as images flashed in his mind.

 _She needs a Keeper..._

The voice of the Ellcrys drowned out Dagda Mor. Allanon watched Alessandra as she recomposed herself. Her body relaxed, and her shoulders fell. He could hear her soft breathing as it returned to normal.

 _Without a Keeper, the Guardian is unprotected._

 _If the Guardian is unprotected, she is vulnerable to the Dark One._

 _The Dark One. –_ he did not know specifically until that moment who or what the Dark One was. He moved closer to Alessandra, placing his hands on her shoulders and finding that she did not refuse his touch. She kept her eyes closed, features softening as she continued to focus on her breathing.

"Earth Guardians need a Keeper because they grow too powerful." His voice was gentle, but regretful as the truth poured from him. "Pygmies are uncontrollable. They are powerful from an early age and continue to grow more powerful as they age."

Alessandra refused to meet his gaze still. She could feel the pull within her, fought it off the best she could.

"You have a connection with the energy where you both feed off each other with no boundaries; no regulation or constraints. You lose yourself in the energy." Allanon moved his right hand and used a single knuckle to lift her chin. She opened her eyes and he could see she had burst a blood vessel in her left eye. The red was sheer against the white and the blue. "Without a Keeper you are unstable. You will fall to the darkness."

 _She **is** the Dark One. It is the part of her that cannot control itself and its use of the energy. It is the part of her that has become corrupted. – _he gently moved his right hand from her chin and placed it against her cheek, touching below her left eye carefully as he looked over the burst.

"The Ellcrys knows you need a Keeper," he began and moved his gaze to meet hers while leaving his hand on her cheek, "to protect you from yourself and the energy."

"Allanon! Alessandra!" Wil's voice burst through the door of her room. He stood with hand on the doorknob in the doorway, Amberle behind him and looking over his shoulder. Wil's eyes moved from Alessandra to Allanon to his hand on her cheek and the way they stood beneath the moonlight.

"Um, are we uh interrupting something?" Wil asked, though it was clear he and Amberle had stumbled into something private. He had never seen Allanon so... comforting? It was odd to see the Druid, hard and focused, acting so with the strange Elemental woman.

"She said yes." Amberle called from behind Wil. Alessandra scoffed and looked down towards her feet. Allanon's hand felt heavy and solid against her cheek before it slipped away. He growled lowly, eyes lifting and looking over the top of her head.

"And as always," Alessandra's voice was scathing as she looked to Allanon once more. He could see her anger, her distraught, "duty calls."

He was a Druid first and foremost. He had a duty to uphold. He had responsibility.

 _She is your duty._

 ** _She_** _is your future, Allanon._

 _Trust her. Trust **in** her_

 _She needs you._

 _Take the Vows._

The voice of the Ellcrys screamed at him. Alessandra turned away from Allanon and walked into her room again to face the young elves, and he followed. As she questioned Wil and Amberle, he stood silent as though watching the scene unfold before him. Her voice floated away, her movements slowed to a fraction of normal pace. He no longer heard her voice, her words nor the words of Wil and Amberle.

His eyes were set on her. Only her.

 _She is your duty._

 _She needs you._

But what did he need?

"All right. We will." Wil announced, his voice breaking Allanon out of his stare and drawing his gaze to him. "Allanon?"

The Druid nodded his head once, having no idea what they had spoken about. He trusted Alessandra's plan, her competence. He would place his trust **in** her as he had been instructed. The little rebellious human act set the Druid in him on edge. He felt his chest tighten as he followed Wil and Amberle out the door of Alessandra's room.

He stopped in the doorway, taking hold of the knob and looked back at her. She stood where she had been, eyes trained on him and full of some emotion that sent a shockwave of fear through him.

 _Defeat._

Slowly, Alessandra blinked and turned away from him to head to the balcony. He too turned away, closing the door behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

The halls were quiet. Guards stood guard at each door and entry way, still as statues. Alessandra hid herself away in her room; door shut and locked since she had arrived there early this morning. She did not want visitors today. She sat on the edge of her bed, facing the open balcony doors. The sunlight poured in; hot, blinding, condemning.

Images from he previous night floated through her mind and sent chills up her spine. The demon had proven to be more difficult than she or any of the others could have imagined. It had hidden in plain sight. It had taken the form of someone they all trusted, not once but many times. The gardener, a knight, Wil even. It had brought back painful memories than she had long since tried to forget.

* * *

 _She stood in the doorway with Amberle at her side. She wrapped her arms around the shaken elf princess, one around her shoulders and the other over her waist. The girl's hands gipped her hand firmly, threatening to fall._

 _"Amberle!" Wil called out as he rounded the great tree and came to a sudden halt. Guards held their spears out, keeping him away from the princess. However, they were ordered to stand down and Wil approached with worry on his features. His eyes met the face of the demon as the façade melted away._

 _Alessandra's eyes were void as she stared down at the demon beneath the roots of the Ellcrys. Its empty black eyes stared back at her, visage mangled and grotesque. It had taken the form of Wil, pretended it had chased after them to warn her of impending doom. Only… it was doom itself. It had drawn a dagger on Amberle, charged her, moving too swiftly passed Alessandra, only to be caught in the strong arms of Allanon. He had been silent and swift, breaking the demons neck so sharply that the sound echoed throughout the Sanctuary._

 _"Burn the demon and seal its ashes in this." Allanon handed a guard an intricately designed jar set with enchantments and spells. Alessandra recognized the craftmanship as belonging to the dwarves. Rare and final, the jar would serve as a tomb for the demon for all eternity._

 _The guards placed the body of the demon on a stretcher, covering it with a cloth. They carried it out behind their commander, all eyes following them. Amberle pulled back from Alessandra's embrace gently as the demon's presence was guided away. The Rover, Eretria, played at the gloves on her hands. She had been the perfect decoy and now she was antsy._

 _"If we're done here," she began and started to walk towards the exit, "I'll just take my things and go."_

 _"I'm afraid not." Amerble's voice wax condemning and patronizing. "Commander Tilton, take the prisoner to her cell."_

 _"Amberle, what're you doing?" Wil spoke up in protest. Alessandra ignored the others and looked up at the Ellcrys. She could feel the trees presence, its gaze boring into her. She could feel the sadness bubbling up and filling her veins with ice. She clenched her hands tightly as she stared up at the branches barren and dying._

 _"I don't make deals with Rovers." Amerble's voice was hard, determined. Alessandra found her gaze pulled away from the Ellcrys and to the young elven princess._

 _"Oh, I knew the elven bitch wouldn't keep her word!" Eretria snarled as she tried to pull away from Commander Tilton._

 _"That is not very noble of you, princess." Alessandra's words were quiet, eyes watching the girl closely._

 _"Was it noble of_ _ **her**_ _to sneak into the palace and try to steal?" Amberle countered, but her words meant nothing to Alessandra. She only saw before her a spited, jealousy elven girl, who wanted to lock away the only other girl that threatened her relationship with Wil. It did not take a genius to see she had feelings for the boy, that he had feelings for both girls._

 _"No, it was not." Alessandra argued, feeling the ice in her veins begin to move as it warmed and melted away. "However, Eretria did put her life on the line to flush out a very dangerous Changeling. She risked_ _ **her**_ _ **life**_ _for you, princess."_

 _"Enough. Let the Rover girl go." Allanon's voice barged into their argument and silenced them all. He stood beside Alessandra and Amberle, separating the two from one another. He looked from Amberle to Wil to Eretria, determination for this to end now and here. "This has gone on far enough. You need to tell us what you know princess."_

 _"Amberle, you saw Eretria in your vision." Wil had put the pieces together. Amberle stood shell-shocked, unable to form a rational thought._

 _"What are you talking about?" Alessandra spoke up, feeling the last of the ice melt away from her blood. She released her clenched hands and looked from Wil and Amberle to Allanon, who met her stare briefly._

 _"Bandon told me that when he touched Amberle, he saw her and Eretria together." Wil's face contorted to mockery as he looked to Allanon and pointed an accusing finger at the Druid. "But, I'm guessing you already knew that mind reader."_

 _"I was hoping you were going to tell me of your own volition." Allanon turned his stare on Amberle, who could not meet him. She instead looked away and shook her head defiantly._

 _"Yes, she was in my vision." Amberle admitted slowly. "But I didn't know what it meant. I thought it might be a warning and then when she showed up and attacked me that confirmed it."_

 _"You need to start trusting the Ellcrys." Allanon chided her like a small child and turned to look at Eretria. Alessandra found she could no longer stand this; the Druid, the Ellcrys, the blind devotion and trust placed in the damned sentient tree. She felt her hands clench again, anger rising within her and boiling up like lava in a volcano. She shook with anger, eyes glaring up at the tree. She suddenly pushed passed Allanon and Wil, heading for the exit with haste._

 _"What's her problem?" Eretria scoffed, tugging on the hold Commander Tilton had on her._

 _"I will speak with her." Allanon assured them and then looked to Amberle again. "If you do not trust the Ellcrys, the three of your will not make it to Safehold."_

 _Something within him wished to chase after Alessandra right then and there. He knew why she was upset. She couldn't trust the Ellcrys, much like Amberle, but for a different reason. Darker reasons._

 _Damn it all! if the Ellrys had just shown her the future he had seen... but there must be a reason why it hadn't. If she could not trust the sentient tree, then he would do it for them both._

 _"Wait, princess, elf, Rover, and Druid makes four." Wil corrected the Druid, but Amberle shook her head._

 _"Allanon wasn't in my vision." She admitted softly, looking to the Druid at her side._

 _"If the Dagda Mor sends more Demons, we must be ready here. That is why you three must travel to Safehold together." Allanon finished and stalked away, robe swaying as he went. His legs carried him swiftly out of the Sanctuary and down the beaten path towards the palace._

 _Alessandra had not gone far. She stood off the path in a clearing, staring up at the sky that was growing lighter with the rising of the dawn. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, hands gripping her arms so hard he expected there to be bruises later._

 _"I don't understand how you can place so much trust in the Ellcrys." Her words were soft, tears evident as her voice broke away. She shook her head, voice turning scathing. "What did she show you? What has she promised you to earn such devotion?"_

 _She turned to stare at him and he could see the stream of tears on her cheeks. The burst blood vessel in her left eyes was melting into the reddening of her sclera. Her breathing was unsteady as she tried to inhale, choppy and hindered._

 _He said nothing. He met her scornful stare, feeling himself at war deep within once again. He longed to tell her the nature of the conversation he had had with the Ellcrys. However, the Druid screamed at him to not reveal it. There must have been some reason the Ellcrys had not shown her the same thing. There had to be._

 _"Now you're silent?" Alessandra scoffed and shook her head at him slowly, turning her back to him. She looked back up at the sky, willing the tears away. She just wanted peace. She wanted... she didn't know what she wanted._

" _The Ellcrys told me that w_ _ithout a Keeper, the Guardian is unprotected."_ _He began finally and moved closer to her, coming to stand beside her. "_ _If the Guardian is unprotected, she is vulnerable to the dark. She won't be able to protect the Ellcrys, protect the rest of us or herself."_ _He stared up at the sky, seeing the stars fading into the light of the growing morn._

 _Alessandra didn't want to know where this was heading; where their earlier conversation had been heading. She wanted to disappear. She wanted to be a ghost again, traveling with her niece in search of her kin, training, hiding, alone._

" _The Ellcrys knows you need a Keeper, Alessandra." His voice lowered, became breathy and firm. "She can sense it; the decay growing inside you. The sadness you spoke of earlier, it isn't the Ellcrys'. It's your own."_

" _Yes." She breathed out and closed her eyes, tears rushing down her cheeks. Allanon turned to face her, hands clenched before him, resisting the urge to reach out to her._

" _You need someone to protect you from yourself and the energy that threatens to engulf you."_ _He nodded his head once, twice, thrice and then took a short intake of breath. He released it slowly, clasping his hands before himself. "The Ellcrys told me to trust you. She told me you are my duty."_

 _ **She**_ _is your future, Allanon._

 _The words of the Ellcrys returned. He could not utter them though. Not those, not yet. He needed to convince Alessandra to trust him in return. He needed to earn her trust as she was slowly earning his._

 _"She told me to take the Vows." Allanon watched Alessandra as she opened her eyes. She stared out at the trees, lost in her own thoughts. She was silent for a long moment. Birds began to wake, chirping their happy songs to bring forth the day._

" _I will not have you forced into something so permanent and doomed. There is no future with me, Druid. My fate is sealed and if you agree to this so too will yours be." Alessandra's voice was broken as she loosened her hold on her arms and let her hands fall to her sides. She took a deep breath and looked to him._ _"I will not tether you to my fate."_

 _"It's a good thing this isn't your choice to make then."_

 _Alessandra turned her head sharply to face him. He saw in her features determination and defiance._

" _The Ellcrys believes that I am the only being capable of becoming your Keeper." He argued, thinking back on all the centuries he has walked this earth. "There is a reason you have not found a Keeper already. Centuries of searching and still none has arisen to take responsibility. Our destinies are entwined, Alessandra, whether we like it or not."_

" _So that's it then? You're willing to throw away everything because the Ellcrys told you to?" She scoffed pointedly, but he said nothing in response. If only the Ellcrys had shown her the same future as he had seen. If only she knew... but something restrained him; the Druid. His human side fought for dominance, fought to tell her the whole truth, but the Druid won out as it always did._

" _I will not accept you as my Keeper if the only reason you take the Vows is because the Ellcrys told you to." Alessandra felt something in her heart break. "That isn't right, and I will not be a part of the Ellcrys' folly any longer."_

 _She turned on her heels and walked away. She both desired him to follow after her, argue with her, but also not. She wanted to be left alone as she always had been. So he did. He allowed her to walk away, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Had his acceptance truly not been enough? He was willing to take the Vows. He was willing to become her Keeper. What more did she need from him?_

 _Alessandra felt fresh tears prickle her eyes as she stormed into her room within the palace walls. She locked her door and slid down it to the cold, hard floor as she broke in two. She cried with a hand over her mouth, so she would not wake her brother and niece in the rooms next to hers. She closed her eyes tightly, tears streaking down her inflamed cheeks._

* * *

She had sat on the floor for hours, crying and pulling at her hair in despair. She had cried herself dry until there was nothing left but emptiness. She then had crawled into bed and passed out till the light of the afternoon had struck her face. It had warmed her chilled skin, her frozen heart. It promised her a new, bright day with new possibilities. However... possibilities that did not change her situation.

She knew Allanon was meant to be hers. She had sensed it the moment she had seen him. A spark of electricity had surged through her, igniting something deep within her soul. A new life. She had known this whole time, before the Ellcrys had told her, but she couldn't accept it. She **wouldn't**. Not so long as the Ellcrys was making him dance like a marionette on a string. It needed to be his own choice for his own reasons.

He needed to want it himself.

He needed to want **her**.

"Amita!" A sound of small, strong knocks came from her door. Alessandra started, snapping her head to the right to peer back at the locked door. She heard the doorknob jingle as Aria twisted and failed. "Why is the door locked? Amita?"

"Coming!" Alessandra stood up and moved to the door. Opening it, she stared down at her niece, dressed in a blue tunic with brown pants.

"Your eye, Amita! You're hurt!" Aria's small, shrill voice echoed through the hallway. Alessandra knelt before her and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"It is nothing. It will heal in time." Alessandra smiled at her softly, hoping to mask her true pain. "Where's your uncle?"

"In the Throne Room with the king." Aria announced and stared at her aunt suspiciously. Alessandra felt something prod into her mind, like a gentle poke. "What happened with you and Allanon?"

"Stop it, Aria! Stay out of my head." Alessandra's voice was sharp as her hands gripped the girl firmly. Her eyes searched her niece's, feeling the child's probing cease and fall away. She gave her niece a shall shake. "Promise me you will stay out of my mind."

"But why Amita?" Aria didn't understand, and Alessandra could hear her confusion through her words. She was frightened. How long had her niece had this ability? How long had her powers begun growing again?

"Just promise me." Alessandra repeated, searching her niece's gaze for confirmation. This was the last thing she needed now. Aria needed to get away.

"I promise." Aria confirmed and Alessandra stood up, peeking her head out into the hallway.

"Have you spoken with _her_ lately?" Alessandra questioned quietly.

"Yes, she's been helping me. She said I need to find her." Aria replied, not understanding the worry etched into her aunt's face. "She says I need her help in training. That my abilities are getting stronger because of you."

"…me?" Alessandra felt her blood freeze over at this. "Aria, what exactly has she told you?"

"She said that you're channeling energy more than you should because of that big red tree. Your powers are too strong. That my own are feeding off of the energy you are using. Something about magnets." Aria explained to her aunt, feeling her hands on her arms tighten again. She tried to think of everything the voice had told her. "She said you need a Keeper. But Amita, I thought you already had a Keeper? What was she talking about?"

"It's nothing Aria. It's nothing at all. Guard!" Alessandra called to one of the many guards in the hallway. They approached, clade in silver armor with hand on the hilt of their sword. Alessandra felt her breath unsteady. "Take my niece to find breakfast. Then find my brother, Björn. Bring him here."

"I want to stay with you, Amita!" Aria argued and latched on to Alessandra's waist. "Is this because I've been talking to _her_ again? I promise I won't anymore."

"No, Aria. You need to speak with her. That's good. She can help you. But you haven't eaten yet and I need to speak with your uncle. So, you will follow the guard and eat." Alessandra wrapped her arms around her niece and then forced a smile to her lips again. "I could also use a bath. I'm beginning to resemble old man Martin who played with the pigs in the hovel. Remember him?"

Aria couldn't help but give a small laugh at the memory they shared and looked up at her aunt. She moved her face closer and sniffed her aunt's clothes.

"You do stink a little like the pigs."

"Thanks rabbit." Alessandra tightened her hold on her niece and let her fingers trail to her sides, tickling her ribs.

"Stop, that tickles!" Aria laughed and Alessandra followed, feeling it fill her heart. She ceased and ushered Aria to follow the guard down the hall. She looked down at herself and her clothes, seeing how filthy they were. She closed her door again and headed into the washroom. After peeling off her clothes, she filled the copper colored basin with hot water and slid into its embrace. She took her clothes and scrubbed them with the thick creamy cleanser known to the elves, filling the air with the scent of orange blossom, milk, and honey. The water soon became clouded with small bubbles formed on the surface.

She hung her clothes over the side of the basin and slipped herself beneath the water, rubbing her hands over her face. She settled there for a long moment, loosing herself in the warmth od the water. Feeling as though she was being watched, she opened her eyes and saw the clouded visage of a man standing over the her.

"Björn!" She sputtered as she surfaced, water sloshing over the side of the basin and across the floor.

"I bathed you when you were a child, Alessi." He said as he moved the small stool from the corner to sit closer to her. "And I can hardly see anything through that cleanser clouding the water now."

She looked over the water and saw that she was covered for the most part. Though her nudity was not an issue for her. Not even in the face of her brother.

"At least you still have principles like an Elemental." She ran a hand over her mouth, removing some of the cleanser from her face.

"Oh yes, because flaunting our bare bodices without shame is an honorable principle." He sat down on the stool and laced his hands together, one foot resting on the edge of the basin. "You requested my audience?"

"Aria needs to go to the Kensrowe Mountains. Soon." Alessandra spoke without guard, leaning back against the curve of the basin. She tilted her head to the right and looked at her brother, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Aless–"

"Her powers are growing again. She probed my mind this morning." Alessandra cut him off, seeing in his eyes worry. "She said she has been speaking to _her_ lately again."

"Who is her? You don't even know her name." Björn argued and shook his head ruefully.

"No, I do not. However, she is the only hope Aria has. Our niece needs training. She is being affected by my abilities."

"We all are." Björn snapped, closing his eyes and reeling in his anger.

"You feel it too?" Alessandra was surprised by this. Had she really not sensed how much energy she was using? How much she was channeling and sending out?

"How could I not? You have become a pylon. Any Elemental within a thirty-mile radius could feel you." Björn explained and let his foot fall from the basin. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "What else did Aria say?"

"That she needs to find the other Sylph." Alessandra went on, trying to push her feelings aside for the moment. She needed logic. "Aria is showing signs of Guardianship."

"I know. I saw the marking on her shoulders the other night." Björn acknowledged, lacing his hands again and hanging his head.

"You know what must be done then." Alessandra reached out a hand from the water and took her brother's. She gripped them tightly, waiting for him to meet her gaze. Instead, his hands moved to encompasses hers.

"What about Bandon?" He questioned, although he already knew the answer. "Can he not provide her with some instruction?"

"Bandon is not a Sylph, Björn." Alessandra's voice was soft and she shook their hands, trying to force him to look at her. "He is a boy who is also in need of training himself."

Björn met her stare, seeing her eyes pleading with him. He suddenly understood the gravity of what she was asking him to do.

"You want me to take her." His words were but a whisper as he sat back, hands slipping away from hers.

"I cannot leave." Alessandra let her hands rest on the edge of the basin as she sat up straighter. "Please, Björn. She has to go."

"I will not." He refused and stood up from the stool. "She is our niece. She belongs here. With us. We are all she has left."

"Look at what is happening to you. What has already happened to her." Alessandra shook her head. "It will only get worse."

"Not if you had taken a Keeper. We will all remain here till the end. Whatever end." Björn scowled and turned so fast that he knocked over the stool as he stormed out. Alessandra slipped back down into the water, laying her head back against the curvature of the basin. She stared up at the ceiling, feeling an unsurmountable weight pressing down against her chest.

 _There is a reason you have not found a Keeper already._

 _Centuries of searching and still none has arisen to take responsibility._

 _Our destinies are entwined, Alessandra, whether we like it or not._

Alessandra slipped down beneath the water and shut her eyes tightly as she screamed into the void. She screamed with all her might as hot, angry tears formed in her eyes and mixed with the thickening liquid around her. She felt the ice return to her blood, streaking up her arms and over her chest. She burst through the surface of the water and found the liquid traveled with her, above her. She inhaled sharply and the water fell around the washroom, sloshing and splashing everywhere over the tiles and walls.

Her hands gripped the side of the basin tightly as she stared wide eyed ahead, breathing heavily. She looked to her left arm and watched the white tendril slowly recede down her arm like the droplets of water, until they were gone from sight again. Nothing was left except the scald marks from the springs on her hands. No white tendril, no white markings of a Guardian. Only the scars of her pain and anguish.

Her body shook as she tried to exit the water basin. She sat herself on the edge, clothes thrown from the force of the water and breathed. She pushed herself off and walked to the door of the washroom. She stumbled into her room and stood at the center.

She was no Guardian. She was no protector, no savior. She was a lie. A lie that needed a Keeper to make sure she was in check. Make sure she didn't hurt anyone or herself. Someone she could rely on, lean on. Someone who understood. She would wait as long as she could, but she did not have forever any longer. She was succumbing. She could feel it growing within her like a sickness, dark and foreboding.

She turned and faced the balcony doors, open and inviting. She took one step closer and crumbled to her knees on the floor in the full force of the sun's light. She felt its rays kiss her flesh, fill her heart with warmth. It rejuvenated her, healed her for now. Just enough to keep her going until she would no longer be needed... or worse.

In the back of her mind she could feel something pressing in. It poked and prodded, demanding entrance. She recognized the being; the Ellcrys. It demanded her presence, demanded her assistance. It pushed onto her a sense of urgency.

And so, with every ounce of her energy she picked herself up from the floor and moved to the wardrobe. Within she found a fresh peasant top, light peach in color, and black breeches. She sandaled her feet and grabbed her small pouch of stones, tying it to her waist. She opened her door and headed out into the hallway, feeling duty pressing down upon her.

~Sanctuary~

Alessandra walked up the path leading to the Sanctuary alone. Her hair was down, out of all braids and restraints, thwapping against her back as it dried in the warmth of the sun. The birds sat in their trees, chirping away despite the growing unease Alessandra felt. Something felt dark in the air, a presence she had felt at the springs. It grew as she approached the great Ellcrys and the Sanctuary.

The tree stood ominously above the Sanctuary, staring down at her in condemnation as she approached. It screamed at her for being pig-headed, for rejecting Allanon and her proposal. It was disappointed. Knowing the tree was displeased with her, satisfied Alessandra in a sick, twisted way. A dark way... if only the Ellcrys was gone...

"No." She barked and shook her thoughts and her feelings free. This wasn't like her; animosity, grudge, hate. This wasn't who she was. She was better than this. She needed to be better than this.

Alessandra stood before the tree in the Sanctuary and stared up at it. It looked feeble, sickly with bare branches and only patches of crimson leaves. The sickness had taken hold of the Ellcrys, weakening it. It alone was not affected though.

In the back of her mind, Alessandra swore she could hear the Ellcrys' voice speaking to her. Telling her to open her eyes, realize what was happening. It told her that something had also latched itself onto Alessandra that night at the spring before the Ellcrys had interfered. The darkness had infected her with the same illness that the Ellcrys faced, both locked in a losing battle.

Everything was culminating. Her powers, the energy, this dark and vile thing that had latched itself onto her, feeding off of her. It was corruption and she was failing to fight against it.

 _You need to heal yourself before you can heal another_

The Ellcrys' words had never sounded more true than in that instance and for a brief moment, Alessandra forgot her anger towards the sentient being. She had foreseen this happening. Damn it all, the Ellcrys had foreseen her succumbing to the energy here in this place. It had wanted it, needed it. If only to make a point to her.

"You are telling me that I need a Keeper in order to keep everyone _else_ safe." Alessandra breathed out and looked down at her hands. In order to keep her powers under control, her emotions, her resolve, she needed a Keeper. Her face contorted into a scowl. "Not to keep myself safe... because after all I am doomed to roam the ages of the earth alone."

The scald marks had slowly begun to fade away as she felt the trees energy flow through her, healing her. It was gentle, soothing, and weak. The Ellcrys was growing so weak.

 _You shall save the Earth_

What a great job she was doing... the Ellcrys had called upon her, had all but begged **her** to save it, and all she could muster was disdain and trepidation for the sentient being. Meanwhile, Allanon trusted it completely; wholeheartedly.

 _You need to trust before you will be trusted_

"I assumed you meant the Druid." Alessandra breathed out, feeling shame wash over her. "Instead, you meant yourself. You knew I didn't trust you. You know I still don't."

Alessandra moved closer and gently laid a palm against its bark, feeling energy surge through her like a current.

… _yes… you need to trust me, Alessandra..._

"Why should I? You don't care about what happens to me. I will not be the same at the end of this."

 _I care about what happens to you most of all, little one._

"Why? Why do you care? Why should I trust you?"

 _Why does thunder chase lightning?_

 _Why does the river flow towards the sea?_

 _Why do the birds sing for the sun and the owl for the moon?_

 _Somethings are not meant to be understood, only accepted._

"This doesn't make us friends." Alessandra scowled at the tree and slowly looked up at it, feeling their connection grow stronger the longer she held her hand to the bark. She could feel it radiate something from deep within its bark, its core. It was afraid of something.

 _Perhaps not now._

 _But, in the end all things meant to happen come to pass._

 _You need only accept for the time being that I have your best interests at heart._

"I will not force him to take the Vows." Alessandra breathed out, sensing where the Ellcrys was bringing this conversation. She shook her head of wavy, semi-dry hair and looked back at her hand planted against the bark.

 _You do not have to for you both still have time, but not much._

 _In the end, we all must acknowledge the call to arms._

 _In the end, you and the Druid will take your Vows._

 _You will do your duty as he will do his._

 _Now, be gentle with them for they both are in a precarious way._

"What are you talking–"

"You want me to talk to the tree?" The voice carried over the Sanctuary from the opposite entrance and ceased Alessandra's question mid stride. Two sets of footsteps followed, one heavily booted while the other was light. Alessandra felt the consciousness of the Ellcrys recede from her and let her hand fall away, fingertips brushing the dehydrated bark along the way. She walked round the base of the Ellcrys, following the footsteps and spied from a group of ferns at the intruders.

"I want you to contact Amberle through the tree." Allanon's voice carried a weight with it as his words echoed off the stone walls and floor. "The Ellcrys has connected itself with very few over the centuries and the Princess is one of them. I can no longer sense her presence."

Allanon looked back at the young elven man, Bandon, who stared up in disbelief at the sentient tree. His dark eyes scanned over the barren branches, head shaking slightly.

"Maybe you can." Allanon prodded him, turning to look back at him. Bandon tore his gaze from the tree to meet the stare of the Druid.

"I see death. I don't..." Bandon's voice fell away as he scoffed, walking back towards the door he entered from. "This is crazy."

"Is it?" Allanon called after him. "You have seen Catania's future and Lorin's past. You've been able to stretch your mind across time and space. Nobody knows what you are capable of. Not even you."

The air fell silent for a long moment as the two men were left to ponder.

"I believe your magic is powerful, Bandon." Allanon returned his attention to the young he-elf, who had stopped in his stalk and stood with a straight back to the Druid. Bandon took a deep breath, turned to look at Allanon and sighed heavily in defeat.

"What do I do?" He questioned, trying to portray confidence.

"The Ellcrys is hundreds of thousands of years old. Much older than our audience spying from the ferns." Allanon's voice ripped through Alessandra like a sword through flesh.

" _ **Or are you older than I surmised?"**_ Allanon's voice entered her head before she even knew he was prodding entrance. She closed her eyes and shook hard, trying to free herself.

 _ **"I have had enough people traipsing through my mind today. Keep out."**_ She barked at him and opened her eyes, glaring across the floor at him. He met her stare, her left eye peeking out from behind a bushel of ferns to the right of the Ellcrys. The blood vessel in her eye was gone, leaving only blue against white; frighteningly comforting.

Alessandra walked out from the fern, cover shattered in one fell swoop. Her sandals made no noise as she crossed the stone floor and her hair, wavy and dry now, swayed like golden silk in the breeze.

"What is she doing here?" Bandon questioned, looking back at the Druid. Allanon stood straight and firm, hands clasped before him with a stare that comforted Alessandra.

"The Ellcrys has summoned her here." His words were gentle, but final. He had known she would show up. He always knew.

"So, it would seem Wil was telling the truth. You are a mind reader." Alessandra breathed out and looked from Bandon to Allanon. Their eyes met and locked on each other, dueling in a silent battle of wills. Despite her unease, despite her desire to flee from view and escape her self-imposed shame, she stood her ground. If Allanon thought her a fool now for the way she had been acting these last several days, he made no notion of it. Instead, she saw mirth in his gaze and his features relax.

"The Ellcrys has witnessed life and death on a scale impossible to fathom." Allanon spoke up again and trekked up the steps of the platform the Ellcrys sat upon. "Yet, in order to confront its power, you must learn to control your own."

Allanon looked over his shoulder at Bandon. No, not Bandon. Her. He was staring at her from where he stood atop the stairs. Had his words been meant for her?

 _ **"I will not pretend to understand how your power works, Alessandra, or how you manifest or control it, but if you stay you may learn something as well."**_ His voice returned to her mind, a gentle prodding to let her know he would not venture any further then to speak in secret with her. She wanted to argue, to flee again, but she forced herself to stay rooted to her place behind Bandon. Slowly, she nodded and Allanon's body relaxed.

"How?" Bandon questioned, not realizing where Allanon's attention had been. Instead, he stared up at the tree again, eyes scanning over it.

"With practice." Allanon looked back down at me and then lifted a hand, palm up, to the young Seer.

"On you?" Bandon stared down at the hand offered to him with apprehension. He shook his head, licking his dry lips. "No way. I mean, what if I see..."

"The only thing you will see is possibilities, nothing more." Allanon tried to comfort the young elf, his stare fixed on him. Bandon stared down at the offered hand again and began to reach out. Alessandra's heart skipped a beat as all the blood drained from her face. She felt her feet move up the stairs before her mind caught up with her.

"No! No, stop! Use me in his stead." Alessandra pushed herself between Bandon and Allanon, pushing his hand away. She held out both of her hands, palm up, in offering a small blush reaching her cheeks as she realized how close she was to Allanon. Her back pressed firmly against the Druid's chest. She got a small waft of his earthy scent of fresh soil and leather, feeling her cheeks flare even more.

Bandon stared down at her, seeing the flash of rose on her cheeks and mistaking it for flush from moving so quickly. His eyes traveled behind her to the Druid. Allanon let out a small, low growl and made to move Alessandra.

"Take my hands instead, Bandon. You will not see my death." Alessandra breathed out in a rush, eyes begging the young Seer to choose her instead.

"You promise?" Bandon felt himself desiring her offer more. The prospect of not seeing a person die before his eyes was a beautiful thing. A touch that did not end in disaster.

"I can guarantee you that." Alessandra smiled at him, sensing his longing. A hand on her shoulder broke her eye contact. She looked up at Allanon behind her and felt his hand grasp her shoulder firmly.

"He needs to learn to control it." His voice was low, soft in her ear as warm breath brushed passed her neck. "He can't do that if you coddle him."

"He is only a boy." Alessandra turned around and faced Allanon, her face mere inches from his own and hands gripping his robe.

"A boy with a very dangerous gift." Allanon's words grew softer, hands coming to rest on her shoulders once more. His eyes danced between hers, seeing her worry. "Björn explained to me about Elijah. You have knowledge about Seers, but right now we cannot fall prey to pampering when Bandon needs strict training. Trust me."

"Then trust me when I say that this cannot end well." Alessandra let her grip loosen on his robe and allowed her hands to fall to her sides. She sat her feet back flat on the ground and took a step down the stairs to free the path from Bandon to Allanon. Bandon met the Druid's gaze after he had looked to Alessandra for a reassuring nod. She tried her best to force a smile, but knew that it failed.

Bandon looked at Allanon's hand, outstretched and waiting. With his own shaky hand, he reached out and hovered over Allanon's a moment. Alessandra felt her heart beat faster, pumping heated blood through her veins. Her eyes darted from Allanon to Bandon. Bandon's hand collided with Allanon's, both clasping hard and firmly. Bandon's head bent backwards as his eyes shot open. A strangled sound escaped his lips.

"Calm yourself, boy." Allanon instructed, but Bandon's breathing was ragged and fast. "Be the master of your own mind, not its prisoner."

"This isn't right." Alessandra snapped, something primal and maternal ignited inside of her. She moved forward and slapped a hand on their, feeling herself pulled into the vision.

 _Allanon laid on a stone table with furs beneath him; bloodied and broken. He gasped raggedly as his lung collapsed, blood seeping out from an open wound in his right side. He wore nothing but tan shorts, as his legs kicked and twitched as life left him. His lips moved, but no words left them._

 _a-l-e-s-s-a-n-d-r-a_

 _He repeated her name again and again and again as life slipped away from him. A light grew brighter from somewhere at his feet, shadows moving in and out of sight. Allanon stared up at the ceiling, gaze caught on something there._

" _Bandon!"_

"I did it. I was there." Bandon's voice was awestruck as all three of them were released from the vision. Alessandra blinked and lifted her gaze to face Allanon, both sharing in a silent conversation.

" _ **You called for me..."**_ She reached out to his mind as she felt something gnaw at her heart.

" _ **I did."**_ Allanon replied, allowing her entrance into his mind.

" _ **Why?"**_ She questioned though she realized that neither of them truly knew the answer. It was a possible future, something had happened. Was it in anger? Was she the cause of it his death? Was that why he called to her, as a curse on her name?

" _ **Not a curse. A final request."**_ Allanon's voice calmed her as he gently stroked her mind to reassure her. She turned her back to them both and sat down on the steps, pulling one knee to her chest. She could still see his bloodied form, smell the iron and the wet stone.

"The moment you died, you felt my presence." Bandon's words made it easy for her to drop the connection with Allanon, who only stared down at her with concern. "I was able to control it."

"Good." Allanon's voice went rigid and he held out his opposite hand to the young elf. "Try again."

They continued again and again and again. Bandon always gasping, face twisted in pain as Allanon stood stoic. His eyes always gave him away; pain, sorrow, distress. Even closed, every time they tightened Alessandra knew he died. Every time they relaxed, she knew he had passed on. Every time, again and again like a carousel they went.

"You're sure about this?" Bandon asked as he moved closer to the Ellcrys.

"There is no certainty with magic," Allanon replied and moved closer to the young Seer. He stood beside him on the top of the stairs, watching him as Bandon watched the bark of the tree, "But we are running out of time. Now, control your emotions."

Alessandra sat in her spot on the steps, eyes closed and lost in concentration. She breathed in deeply and breathed out. In and out, trying to block out everything around her.

"Sure." Bandon replied, hands twitching at his sides in anticipation. He looked up the tree towards the top and took a deep breath, huffing it out hurriedly.

"Wait." Alessandra stood up, brushing her hair over one shoulder and walked up the steps. She stood on Bandon's opposite site and looked from Allanon to the young elf. "I will do this with you."

"Alessandra." Allanon's tone warned her, but she shook her head at him.

"I am a Pygmy. The Ellcrys is weak, Allanon. Let me lend her some of my strength." Alessandra was surprised herself by her words. Her help the Ellcrys? When had her soured feelings sweetened? Perhaps Allanon had been correct when he told her she might learn something. Allanon watched her closely for a moment and then nodded his head, turning to look back at Bandon.

Alessandra reached forward and placed her palm flat against the dry bark of the Ellcrys. She looked up at the great tree, mindlessly telling her to be gentle with Bandon; be kind. She got no reply, but could feel the tree's energies shifting like a leaf shaking in the breeze. The Ellcrys also held fear deep within her core. It puzzled Alessandra, forcing her eyebrows to knit together as she attempted to make sense of what the Ellcrys was telling her.

"All right, now place your hand on the Ellcrys, Bandon." Allanon ordered, nodding his head towards the trunk of the great tree. "Remember, control your emotions."

"Ellcrys, what...?" Alessandra breathed out as she felt a wave course through her hand, traveling up her arm and spreading like static throughout her. Slowly her eyes traveled up the tree towards its top as a weight settled in her heart, something dark shading her senses. It slithered through her veins like sludge. Alessandra looked down at her hand and saw the start of something on her finger tips; blackness, decay. Her nails shifted from clear and white to black as though smudged with charcoal. She shook her head, trying to pull her hand away but found she was rooted to the tree trunk. She saw Bandon move closer, hand outstretched, "No... wait... stop!"

Before she could reach out to stop him with her free hand his palm landed flat against the bark. Suddenly, she felt a new energy course through her, seizing her muscles and making her rigid as her head snapped back. Both of them were transported across space and time to a place covered in a thick red ash with strong, sulfuric gases spilling out from the ground in clouds of toxic smoke. They dropped to the ground, Alessandra landing on her knees and holding her forearms close against her chest. Bandon stood next to her and fell to kneel at her side, taking her arms from her.

"Your hands are turning black." He spoke, voice oddly lagged in the thick, unforgiving air. He held her hands gently in his own, unafraid of seeing her death or any vision at all.

"It's the decay." She winced, feeling the blackness rooting itself in her hands and send a shockwave of pain through her arms. "We shouldn't be here."

"Where is here?" Bandon questioned and took a quick assessment of their surroundings. Beneath them were decaying crimson leaves from the Ellcrys... and blood. Bodies were thrown about haphazardly as though in child's play, unmoving and lifeless. Bandon's eyes locked on one of the bodies, face growing pale as Alessandra looked above them.

"No, no, no..." She breathed out, eyes tracing the area in a large circle where seven horn-like pillars sat around them. Slowly, a red mass encompassed the pillars, sealing them in. "Bandon, we're in a dark henge... Bandon?"

Alessandra looked to the young elf, following his gaze to the ground where a familiar body lay. It was Amberle; bloodied, broken, and dead. Alessandra felt Bandon release her hands and watched him crawl towards Amberle's body.

"Bandon, it isn't real." Alessandra tried to grab after a piece of his shirt, but missed by a hair. She watched as he knelt before Amberle's side, turning her over and cradling her in his arms. Her green eyes stared out aimlessly, voice of life.

"I felt her magic calling to me, young one." A dark, sinister voice rang out over the henge. Alessandra froze like a deer, terror seizing her. Her eyes traveled to the right and looked up at the convoluted image of what once was a Druid elf.

 _Dagda Mor –_ Alessandra looked back at Bandon, who ignored her stare and glared at the intruder. Alessandra felt something tugging on her, pulling her away from the fray. She tried to hold tight, tried to keep rooted, but the power was too strong.

"What have you done to Amberle?" Bandon shouted, spit flying and anger rising.

"You cannot save the girl." Dagda Mor announced, finality in his voice. His face twisted as a smirk slithered onto his tight, mocking lips. "The Druid was a fool to send you."

Dagda Mor raised a hand and stalked towards Bandon. Alessandra screamed at him, but her voice was lost as her energy was pulled away. She reached out in vain, feeling herself disappear through the henge and back towards her body.

Alessandra screamed as she was slammed back into her body. She ripped her hand away from the Ellcrys, turning her back to it and stumbling down the stairs. She cried, heavy tears as she held her hands to her chest in pain.

"Bandon!" Allanon called out, rushing to the boy's side to catch him as he fell. He tore the young elf's hand away from the tree, lowering him towards the ground. He saw his eyes then, changing from brown to red to solid black as his body went limp. "Bandon! Wake up boy!"

Alessandra looked back up the stairs and caught sight of a single leaf falling to the ground; burning until it became ash. Her eyes drifted downwards to her hands and saw the damage that had been done. The decay was creeping up to her wrists, moving on its own volition. She felt her tears, desperate and angry race down her cheeks and fall from her chin to the stone floor beneath her. She clenched her hands tightly, knuckles turning ever darker, and closed her eyes. She rocked back and forth as she listened to Allanon call to Bandon in vain.

"Alessandra!" Allanon's voice was earnest as his gaze befell her at the base of the stairs. She rocked back and forth, her back to him and seeming to hold her hands tight to her chest as though wounded. He wished to go to her side, take her hands in his own and comfort her, but he couldn't leave Bandon. Not since this was his doing; his fault. "Are you hurt?"

"Just focus on caring for Bandon." She snapped at him, not meaning to be so harsh, but the pain she felt in her hands and her heart made her spiteful. Alessandra heard footfalls coming towards her, but still she kept her eyes closed.

"See to her!" Allanon shouted, pointing a gloved finger in Alessandra's direction as he went back to examining Bandon. Gentle, weathered hands took Alessandra's and scrutinized her flesh that was turning black.

"Oh girl, look what has happened." The voice was older, craggily with age and experience. Alessandra opened her eyes then and stared at a woman she did not recognize; gray haired and grey eyed. "Hold still."

Alessandra felt a gentle nudge on her mind and could do naught to deny its entrance. A warmth spread over her from her mind, down her arms, and to her hands. Slowly, she felt the decay wither away as though being washed clean by the rain. The decay receded from her wrists to her palms to her fingers where the decay lingered on her tips, staining her nails and flesh.

"It looks like it has taken hold after all. I was afraid of this." The old woman moaned, firmly gripping Alessandra's hands in her own. It comforted her in a way she had not felt in centuries. "I'm sorry, but it seems that all I can do is stall it for the time being."

"Who are you?" Alessandra's voice was broken, briefly catching sight of Allanon picking up Bandon's lifeless body from the floor from the corner of her eyes. Bandon's eyes were shut now, Allanon having closed them to hide the blackness. He carried him down the stairs and passed her, not looking down once as he brought the boy into his makeshift room.

"Some call me, Penelope. Others call me, witch. You may call me, Penny." She gave Alessandra a reassuring smile, her words meant to comfort her. She placed a hand on Alessandra's cheek and brushed away a few stray tears. "Come, my dear."

Alessandra allowed the older woman to help her up, her strength at her age surprising Alessandra. Penny led her from the Sanctuary with a gentle hand and an arm wrapped around her waist. The young woman did not protest and instead only followed, not knowing what else she could do.

Bandon was trapped. She knew that by the look of his eyes; black and void. His soul was trapped in the black henge with Dagda Mor in a place she did not recognize; sulfur clouds, red ash, blood. It was a dark place. An unholy place shielded from unwelcoming eyes. She hoped, she prayed to whatever being or god might listen to her, that Allanon would find a way to save the young Seer from a fate worse than death.

Alessandra looked back over her shoulder at the Ellcrys that stood tall above the Sanctuary. Her crimson leaves, what was left of them, shone brightly like a beacon amongst the green and blue of earth and sky. She now knew exactly what they were fighting against, what they were fighting for. It was in this moment, Alessandra found herself trusting the sentient being with her whole being.


	13. Chapter 13

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

Alessandra sat on the railing out on the balcony of her room. She stared out over the trees towards the Ellcrys that stood tall and mighty despite its desperate situation. It had been several hours since she had been there with Bandon and Allanon. _Training_ , as Allanon had called it. She had learned nothing though and now Bandon would never be able to put to use what he **had** learned.

"Come back inside dear. You'll burn that pretty skin of yours." Penny called from where she sat at the small round table. Björn sat with her, hanging on the edge of each word she spoke as Aria was sentenced to the afternoon with two of the servant girls. Alessandra wanted no part of this at the moment. It was bad enough that Bandon's soul was trapped with Dagda Mor, but it had become more peculiar when the Sylph from Kensrowe Mountains had appeared on the same day. Her name was Penelope and she had been communicating with Aria for several months telepathically. She had _grown tired_ of waiting for Alessandra and Aria to find her and instead, in her impatience, had sought them out. Aria had told her where they were in Arborlon and she had come.

She had said it was sheer dumb luck she had shown up when she had. She claimed no knowledge of the events taking place at Arborlon apart from what little Aria had told her. However, Alessandra and Björn suspected otherwise. The fact that she had known Alessandra was in the Sanctuary, that she had somehow been able to stall the decay within her, was dubious in its own right. The strangest part of her tale had come only moments before Alessandra had isolated herself to the balcony... Penelope had been particularly blunt when announcing that she was in fact no stranger at all to them.

"I'm your grandmother." She announced, standing before them inside of Alessandra's room. Her hand sat akimbo on her hips, elbow out and a cracked smile on her lips.

"We have none." Alessandra narrowed her eyes, distrust clouding them. "How dare you attempt to hoax us."

"I **am** your grandmother, whether you accept it or not. We are connected by blood. Your father's blood." Penelope snapped, her calm almost happy demeanor shattered by impudence of her grandchildren. Alessandra gave a harsh laugh and shook her head of wavy golden strands before turning her back to the old crone.

"Father claimed you died when he was a boy." Björn commented, not quite believing this woman's story either. He was not as bold as his sister was with accusations and harsh tones though. He was an emissary, a diplomat, and he conducted himself as much. Even despite this being a stretch. But why lie about such a thing? Why would anyone claim to be related to them? They weren't special outside of their own people, who were after all a dying breed. Björn stared at her calculatingly for a long moment, eyebrow arched high on his forehead. "He said from _plague…_ the same plague that ravaged many Elemental villages centuries ago."

"Your father was ashamed of me."

"Why?" Alessandra turned around sharply and crossed her arms over her chest. She gave a sarcastic shrug. "What exactly would he have to be ashamed of by you?"

"Of what I am and what I used to be." Penelope scowled, not at her granddaughter, but at the thoughts now plaguing her mind. "I too was a Guardian, girl."

Alessandra narrowed her eyes, but held her tongue.

"Now, that I must disagree with." Björn laughed, harsh and meaningful. His eyes trailed over the crone's appearance; clothes in shambles, hair broken and a mess, eyes steely and weathered. "You hardly seem appropriate for Guardianship."

"Do not let my aged appearance deceive you." Penelope wagged a finger at him and looked between the siblings. "I was a Guardian and a damned good one."

"Then what happened? You cannot simply _stop_ being a Guardian." Alessandra shook her head again, but her voice grew softer. No longer was her tone incredulous or condemning.

"I found I had another calling." Penelope moved to the small round table and sat down, sighing in relief the chair brought her old bones. "A higher calling."

"Higher than being a Guardian?" Björn balked at her and gave a laugh, looking to his sister. She did not share in his laughter though. Her eyes met his and he could see deep emotion, understanding.

"My abilities as a Sylph had grown far beyond that of a Guardian's." Penelope leaned back in her seat slightly, feeling Alessandra's eyes on her. She swept through the young woman's mind easily without her knowing and found something deeply rooted there that brought a tender smile to her lips. "As yours are quickly doing, Alessandra."

"What are you?" Alessandra's question left her in a soft breath, a whisper, worry filling her. Something was off about this Sylph, if she could even be called that anymore.

"I am a Sibyl." Penelope's response was swift and decisive, leaving no room for argument.

"That's not possible." Alessandra breathed out and shook her head, anger swelling within her.

"What is a Sibyl?" Björn questioned, feeling the change in the air.

"Nothing more than a fantasy." Alessandra snarled, feeling something dark bubble up within her. Without a second thought she turned on her heels and headed out onto the balcony, ending her involvement in the conversation. Penelope sighed, frustration rising with her granddaughter faith in her.

"Pour me a glass of that Elven wine, boy." Penelope pointed towards a drink cart behind Björn and nodded her head. Björn, taking another glance in his sister's direction, moved to the drink cart and poured two glasses instead. He handed one to Penelope and then sat down at the small round table with her. Penelope took a sip of her drink and as she pulled the glass away from her lips she examined the champagne colored liquid. She set the glass back on the table and looked over towards Alessandra, who sat on the railing of the balcony. "The town we lived in did not take kindly to Elementals. Sylphs even less and Sibyls like me were considered witches because our powers had developed far passed the norm."

"What is a Sibyl?" Björn questioned again, fingers tapping gently against his glass. Alessandra ignored their conversation, mind wandering back to the Sanctuary and to Bandon. She rearranged herself on the railing, back pressed firmly against a stone planter fused to the railing.

"A Sibyl is a Sylph, but one who's powers have _altered_. Not only can I control the air, but I am able to enter minds. Speak without using voice. As I have been doing with your niece. I can also travel across planes of existence." Penelope explained, meeting Björn's look of disapproval. Something caught her attention, a shift in the air like electricity. She turned her head and looked back at Alessandra. The young Elemental Guardian looked down at her hands, palm down and examined the decay nestled firmly in her fingertips. She turned her hands over and saw something that sent a shiver up her arms. Grey, ghostly tendrils had appeared on her soft flesh and dissolved as they neared her wrists. It looked strange and foreboding to her. Much different than the white mud that had decorated her hands days before.

" _ **That will grow worse in time, dear."**_ Penelope called from inside Alessandra's mind, startling her. Alessandra quickly clenched her hands and hid her fingertips in her palm, watching her knuckles turn white. Alessandra turned to look at Penelope, but said nothing. The old woman's gaze was haunting, hollow, serious.

"You have upset this balance by shirking your duties for far too long." Penelope called out from her seat and looked back down at her glass of wine, raising her chin up. "The universe thrives on balance; light to dark, life to death. It will seek to reach equilibrium once more by any means necessary."

"What are you talking about?" Björn questioned, eyes moving from Penelope to his sister. The sun cast her in an odd otherworldly glow. Her hair shimmered golden like the rays, skin kissed and rosy. Her dark fingertips through off the scene, making her appear shadow-like.

"Your sister's lies are catching up with her. Allowing everyone to believe she is a Guardian when in fact she has not even taken a Keeper... irresponsible of the both of you." Penelope narrowed her eyes at the young Elemental on the balcony and shook her head. She could not help the disappointment that resonated in her voice. "You, _girl_ , need to step up and complete your rites. Accept a Keeper and take your Vows already before it is too late and you have condemned yourself."

"How do you know all this?" Björn snapped in a low voice, fear that her words may somehow travel beyond the room they sat in. No one was supposed to know the web of lies they had spun and yet it seemed the harder they tried to conceal the lies, the quicker people were discovering their falsities.

"Despite my self-induced exile to the northern mountains, I have always kept a close watch on you all and my abilities as a Sibyl made it all the easier." She returned, tone biting as she met Björn's narrowed stare. She leaned on the table, lacing her hands together and resting her elbows on the edge. "This isn't the first time the decay has manifested in your sister. She has done quite well at keeping it hidden and at bay over the last century. My guess is water from the Silver River.

" _ **Am I correct?"**_ Penelope questioned inside of Alessandra's mind, but the young Elemental was quick to cast her out from her thoughts. This only confirmed her suspicion. Penelope gaze lowered and she shifted in her seat, dress swishing as she moved. She turned to face Alessandra, who watched the crone from the corner of her eyes, but did not speak. Björn followed Penelope's stare and watched his sister in a new light; a darker light. The shadows he now saw appearing around her did not paint a pretty picture and instead diluted his image of her. He didn't quite recognize her now.

Alessandra refused to meet their eyes and turned her head so she could see them no longer. Björn turned back to Penelope and then stared down at the glass of elven wine in his hand. He raised the glass to his lips and finished it in two calculated gulps. He excused himself from the table and moved to the bottle of wine sitting on the cart behind him against the wall. He poured himself more and then remained there at the cart, staring into the mirror that reflected the convoluted image of his baby sister.

"It would seem that this time it has grown impatient. The decay seeks a host and you are proving to be the perfect candidate." Penelope took a deep breath and then nodded her head of braided grey hair. "It will continue to mature until you are thoroughly consumed... or you take a Keeper and complete your Vows, child. I would advise the latter... and **soon**."

"Alessandra?" Björn called out to her, closing his eyes and hanging his head. "Does she speak the truth?"

Alessandra again said nothing. She felt her heart break at the dejected tone in her brother's voice. Björn slammed the bottle of wine down on the cart and gripped each side of it with tight fists.

"Will you say nothing?!" Björn he demanded and lifted his head, peering at her again through the mirror. She turned her head, squinting against the bright light and sighed. What could she say after all? That Penelope was right? She was. The decay was no stranger to her nor she to it. She had done a fine job of hiding it, visiting the Silver River constantly as of late to consume its healing waters. It **had** kept it at bay until now.

Instead of speaking, for anything she said would be wrong and only aggravate him more, Alessandra pushed herself off the railing. She headed back into her room, not bothering to close the doors to the outside and headed straight for the bedroom door with a fervor of determination.

"Oh no. You need to explain. You do not get to escape that easily." Björn sprung to his left and blocked her path to the door. She halted before him and looked up at him with weary eyes. She took a deep breath and then sighed, feeling the extent of her weariness fill her.

"There is no escape from this palace for me, Björn. I am a prisoner here so long as the Ellcrys has need of me." She confronted him, annoyance littering her voice. "She calls to me now. I must go."

"You cannot go to the Sanctuary." Björn was incredulous, not knowing her words were a lie. The Ellcrys had been silent since Bandon had used her as a pylon to expand his abilities. She had been silent since Dagda Mor had reached through her to get to the young Seer. Alessandra didn't even feel her sadness nor illness anymore. It concerned her much more deeply than she cared to admit.

"I am. She chose me to protect her. I will so long as I am able. Now move out of my way." Alessandra replied dryly, in no mood for his games or overprotective brotherly attitudes. He stood his ground and Alessandra felt her control waver. She straightened, unwilling to back down. "Move Björn."

"I will not. It's too dangerous." Björn scolded her, voice growing low. His gaze befell her hands and scrutinized the decay that had taken root. " _You_ are becoming too dangerous."

"What...?" Alessandra gawked at her brother, hurt by his accusation. "Certainly, you do not mean that. I have it under control."

"So long as the decay has rooted in you, you are a threat. You–"

"Are still a Guardian and still your sister!" She sneered, face contorting with anger. "So long as there are greater dangers than myself running around, I refuse to be locked away like some kind of leper!"

"The decay will drive you mad, Aless."

"Yes, perhaps," Alessandra felt her sail deflate. "but not before I see all of this through."

"Enough, the both of you! Let her go, boy." Penelope chided, picking up her glass again to sip on the refreshing liquid it held. "Her Keeper, the one staying in the Sanctuary, will watch over her. She will be safe for now."

"Her Keeper...?" Björn found his voice deceiving him as he looked from Penelope to his sister, standing before him defiantly. He slowly shook his head. "Oh, you cannot be serious. Alessandra, tell me she does not insinuate what I think she does. The damned Druid?"

Alessandra looked to Penelope, at a loss of how the woman knew. Realizing the confusion, Penelope raises a finger to her temple and taps it gently.

 _Damn mind readers –_ Alessandra growled mentally and looked back to her brother, standing accusingly before her.

"She will be all too happy to explain, I'm sure." Alessandra pushed passed her brother and out the door. The hallway brought with it a release of tension, the air calm and cool. Alessandra took a deep breath and forced herself to walk the halls in determination to get to the Sanctuary. She passed guard after guard, hall after hall, until she found herself outside. She soaked in the cool breeze and the warmth of the sun, heading down the path towards the great tree that stood watch over Arborlon.

As Alessandra entered the Sanctuary, she was acutely aware that the dark energies had dissipated. Again, the Sanctuary was calm and balanced. She moved closer to the tree and stared up at it, waiting for some kind of sign or message. The Ellcrys was silent though. Lost to her own thoughts and worries. Perhaps even licking her own wounds.

Alessandra looked around the Sanctuary, finding that it was too quiet. She walked around the tree and found the door to Allanon's makeshift room open. Stepping inside the room, Alessandra saw Allanon through the wall made to look like a divider. She peered through one of the many small octagonal designed windows and watched him for a moment. She noticed he had lit candles despite the blaring sun pouring in from the oval windows above the bed. The smell of incense wafted around the small room, heavy and powerful.

Allanon stood over Bandon lying in his bed with a hand hovering over his forehead. The young elf was silent, unmoving, hands clasped over his abdomen as though awaiting viewing. His chest slowly rose and fell as though he merely slumbered. Allanon's breathing was calculated as he pulled his hand back, suddenly straightening.

"You should not be here." His voice was low, but not reproachful. She could hear within it sadness and regret over what had happened. Alessandra moved to the end of the short hall and leaned against the doorway, temple pressed to the cool stone as she peered down at Bandon.

"Yes, I should." She replied gently, voice barely above a whisper. She crossed her arms and shoved her hands beneath them out of sight. "I was there with him, Allanon. I saw what he saw. Felt what he felt."

"What did he see?" Allanon turned and looked to her for answers for he had none himself. She could see in his eyes his pain and guilt. He had failed the boy. Had tried to save him and instead had sent him head first to his end. Alessandra looked down at Bandon for a long moment and sighed heavily as she recounted what, where and who they had seen.

"We were taken to the black henge." Alessandra's voice was so soft she was afraid that the beast from the black henge would hear her. She could still see him mangled Elven form, his scars, his brands. "Burning leaves from the Ellcrys... Dagda Mor."

The air churned as the name lingered between them. Allanon met her stare, face stoic as her own fell grave. Her chest constricted and she longed to reach out to take Allanon's hand, but she resisted. Instead, she clenched her hands tightly as they sat hidden beneath her arms. She could not be sure whether or not Allanon knew that the decay had manifested physically and permanently, she suspected he might, but still she wanted them hidden.

"We need to talk." Allanon's voice was steady, eyes returning to Bandon's steely form. This was his way of addressing an uncomfortable issue without having to face the other person and see their direct reaction. "Last night I explained to you what the Ellcrys told me."

"You told me _some_ of what she said, what you saw. However, I still stand by my decision." Alessandra gave a huffy, ticked-off laugh. "While, yes, it is your decision to make, you do not understand all that it entails. I'm certain neither your Codex, Druid training nor the Ellcrys has bothered to elaborate on that."

"What becoming your Keeper entails does not matter. Our destinies are entwined whether we like it or not. We have been brought together by forces greater than ourselves." Allanon breathed out in exasperation and clasped his hands before him. He closed his eyes and sighed again. "It does not matter if I completely understand."

"It matters to _me_." Her voice held pain and desire within it. So much so that Allanon felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. His eyes befell the floor, head keeping straight and body holding his resolute posture. His heart hammered in his chest as he told himself that perhaps she was right. The Druid in him scolded him, telling him he could not be what she needed.

 _ **Become**_ _who she needs you to be..._

The soft, nudging voice of the Ellcrys filled his mind. He closed his eyes again and beat back the voice, the feelings that overcame him. He sensed emotion rolling off of Alessandra in heavy waves; deep, meaningful emotion that he refused to understand.

"Having a Keeper means much more than holding my abilities at bay. It means so much more." Her voice was soft, broken almost. "It will tie you to me, binding us together, forever."

 _The decay... it grows within her..._

Allanon's back went rigid as he turned his head slightly to the left as though someone whispered in his ear. It was the Ellcrys. Allanon turned slowly and faced the Guardian, features stern and eyes moving to her crossed arms. She did not waver under his observation, but instead was too calm. He briskly strode towards her, stopped so quickly it startled her away from leaning against the stone, and grabbed her arms firmly.

"What are you doing?" Alessandra snapped, struggling to pull her arms away from his hold as he easily over powered her and uncrossed them. He was stronger than her and kept his grip by sheer force. He dragged his hands down her forearms and pushed back the extra material of her peasant top to grip her hands tightly. He looked them over quickly, eyes scanning and growing dark at the sight of her fingers. Blackness, sickly and damning, sat on the tips of her fingers like tea stains. Small, almost ink bleeds, sat at the top and appeared as though slowly spreading through the back of her hands.

"This is no longer up for discussion. We are running out of time." Allanon shook her hands between them, motioning towards the decay at her fingertips as his gaze found hers. His eyes spoke of earnest, or caring, something he knew he felt deep within him for her, but was too much the coward to speak aloud.

Instead, he looked down at her hands again and let his gloved fingers run over hers as though almost attempting to wipe the mass away like a stain. He felt emotion bubble up again, deep and troublesome. Human emotion; concern for her. He met her eyes once more, his gaze softening and saw the fear there, rooted deeply within her.

" **You** are running out of time, Alessandra." His voice was soft, but held finality in them that she had already been feeling. She had known for a long while that she was running out of time. She **had** shirked her duties for far too long. Penelope was right... the universe thrived on balance; light to dark, life to death, happiness to anguish. The universe would seek to reach equilibrium by any means necessary. Even if that meant her death.

"We must take the Vows." Allanon almost pleaded with her, his stare building with fire behind his eyes. He felt his chest tighten, his hands hold hers more firmly. Still, she shook her head as tears prickled her eyes.

" **No** , I will find another way." She hissed gently through gritted teeth. It was towards herself, towards the situation. Not him. She tried to tug her hands away, but his grip was a vice and locked her there before him. He wanted to pull her closer, wrap his arms around her and promise her things he had never promised any other. Things he wanted himself.

It was strange the feelings that had developed inside of him for this Elemental. Strange and frightening. They were stronger than the ones he had had for Pyria. Much stronger and different. These felt real and true... pure. Deep within him his human side screamed out, begging for him to come to his senses; to allow himself to _feel_ something for her, express those feelings for her. He was _so_ close. Just one more step off the ledge and there would be no coming back... but perhaps that is what he had wanted all along? To step of the ledge of Druidism, of responsibility to people who cared little about what was happening, to a life that had no meaning. Perhaps he wanted to take that leap of faith with **her**.

Things in his life had always had purpose. He became a Druid because he showed signs of magic wielding. He met Wil because he had known Wil's father, had battled alongside him to defeat a great evil. He was here now because the Ellcrys needed his aid. However, the purpose of Alessandra, of their meeting, or his growing fondness for her, was not so easily understood. Not until the Ellcrys had shown him a possible future. Not until he had begun to ignore the Druid voice in his head and listen to the human heart beating uncontrollably in his chest. He cared for this woman, this Elemental Guardian... but was that enough? Just to _care_ for her?

He knew what the _more_ she had insinuated on was. But was he ready for that again? Did he have it in him after all the battles, the death, the destruction? Could he become what she needed? That, he was not so sure about.

She needed strength.

She needed stability.

She needed comfort.

She needed _love_ …

His love, he believed, had run out ages ago. But he had also believed his human half had also been snuffed out during the grueling years of training. Yet, here it was beating against the Druid in him for dominance. It demanded to have its time, **his** time. It demanded he live his own life the way he wanted it. But was he strong enough to give in to this desire? To allow the Ellcrys to push he and Alessandra together? All it would take was a little more, one final step, and they both would fall over that edge together into the unknown... and he felt, for the first time, just fine with that.

"It has only been stalled for now. It **will** begin again. Then what shall we do?" Allanon searched her eyes, voice stern and determined. Alessandra was surprised by his words. The choice of words.

 _We? –_ she questioned to herself as she stared up at him. Since when had there been a we? It was always she and Allanon. Never together, always separate. Allanon saw she had no answer to the questions he posed... because her understood there was no answer.

"You **will** succumb to the decay..." The idea suddenly struck terror within him. Not only for what that would mean for the Ellcrys, but her and himself as well. The decay would consume her and leave no traces of the woman before him behind. Alessandra would be gone, never to return and he would not be able to stop it nor reverse it. He mindlessly rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands in a subconscious, human comfort. His hold had loosened, but she had not stolen her hands back. Instead, Allanon felt her fingers curl around his gloved hands as though begging for him not to let go.

He searched her face, her eyes for some kind of notion. He could see something there, behind those deep pools of sapphire, that begged to be let out. A secret. A fear. A hope.

"What is the real reason you will not accept me as your Keeper?" He questioned as she avoided his gaze. "What do I need to do to prove I am capable of this task?"

"You are more than capable, Allanon." Her voice was soft, broken almost. "The fact that this, that **I** would only be a task to you, means I cannot accept."

Alessandra wanted him. _Gods be damned_ , she wanted him in the worst of ways. In every way. As her Keeper, her friend, as something more stronger. His strength and determination supported her when she was weak. It gave her solace to know he was capable of picking up the pieces when she could not. It was comforting that he understood more than most about her, magic, and the many other mysteries of this world as she did.

He was her opposite and the only one who could perform as her Keeper. She knew that. This attraction she felt was more than anything she had come across before as it should be. She had had lovers, as most Elementals do, over the centuries. Elves, dwarves, humans, Elementals, but that had grown tiresome and she preferred to be alone in her older age. While he was not the most magnificent specimen of the male kind, his imperfections made him even more attractive to her than any other. The sharp edges of his personality, his scars, intimidating stares, questioning her and pushing her to her limits... it aroused her in ways no other man had.

This feeling in her core, her heart, was more than pleasure and comfort and desire. Dare she say that she was falling into love? Could she love him? ...could he love her? That was her real hesitance. His love... had it run out with Pyria? With being a Druid? Could he love her the way a Keeper should love their Guardian?

"Why, woman, are you being so unyielding?" Allanon growled lowly at her, tugging on her hands and inadvertently pulling her closer to him. His hands took hold of her elbows instead, locking her before him. His heart raced. Thank the heavens that his hands were gloved or else she may have felt the clamminess of his nerves. "Is this not something that you want? Have wanted? Do you wish to face the rest of these ages alone?"

Elders be damned! – she was infuriating. Her stubbornness was wearing him thin, his patience thin. But, so was her kindness. Her tender touches. Her comforting, strong stares. Her willingness to try, to understand, to keep going. Her deep pools of endless blue. Allanon felt the human in him lash out, demanding he pull her to him and lock her away in the safety of his arms. But the Druid... the Druid demanded he forget this folly and return to his other responsibilities.

"Me? Unyielding?" Alessandra gawked at him and then scoffed her contempt. How dare he! She merely was trying to be reasonable, be realistic. Unyielding?

"Yes, you." Allanon reiterated, watching the insinuation pass over her features like a slap to the face. He jerked her closer again and felt her full, perky breasts push against his leather armor into his chest. Alessandra scoffed and blinked in rapid succession as she tried to think of a quip.

"What about **you**?" Alessandra barked, eyes falling over him from head to foot and back up again. She was vaguely aware of their closeness, of their chests touching. It sent shivers down her spine and tingles into her belly. "You're a _Druid_. I'm sure that conflicts with this whole situation, making it null and void. Your damned breed hates what I am! **You** should hate what I am!"

"I am not a–" Allanon cut himself off to growl lowly again. God, she knew just how to push his buttons to rile him up. He felt a distant, but familiar sensation rise up in his abdomen; arousal. Her defiance, her fiery nature, how she refused to back down from him... it was provoking him. Provoking pent up emotions he had long since sworn off of after Pyria.

"You are not a what?" Alessandra challenged him though she already guessed what he had meant to say. "A Druid? A human? What?"

"Despite our peoples' dislike for one another, **I** do not dislike _you_." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could go no further. He was losing to his human urges. The way she licked her supple lips before retorting to his insinuations, the way she cocked her firm right hip out in such a way her perky breasts stood at attention, was too much. He opened his eyes again and stared down at her with finality that stole her breath. "I certainly do not hate you or what you are."

They stood there for a long moment in silence, the sound of their breathing the only noise in the small room. He held her at her elbows, no longer firmly not demandingly. Instead, it was gentle and comforting. She allowed herself to stay there, somewhat within his arms, desiring for him to pull her ever closer and wrap his arms around her. How she longed to hear the sound of his heart beating in his chest.

"I am the last of my _breed_ , as you are nearing as well." Allanon grumbled out, trying to suppress his urges, his feelings for her. No matter what, this was not conducive to any of the situations at hand. "Therefore, I can make up my own opinions about this situation we have found ourselves in and what you are."

"And what are your opinions?" She found herself asking before she could think it through. It left her lips gently as all the fire in her belly was suddenly quenched. Her eyes, bright and full of vigor, darted away from him as she realized what she was really asking him. Her cheeks flared, heat rushing to them. She prayed that he did not see, but she knew he had.

Allanon stared down at her again. Her demeanor had grown shy, embarrassed even and he found his emotions flare up once more. He spotted the pink on her cheeks and felt his lips curl into a small smile as a weight on his shoulders felt as though lifted. He struggled to hold back the human side of himself... but failed.

He reached on hand up to her chin and forced her to look at him. His gloved thumb touched her bottom lip gently as his forefinger held firm beneath her chin. He felt his heart race, saw emotion building in her eyes. He did not know what he intended to do with her attention, but felt the human side of himself leading him through these new waters.

He slowly leaned forward, realizing his want to crash his lips to her own in a battle for dominance; over his feelings, over hers, realizing the future that the Ellcrys had shown him. He wanted it. He wanted her.

He hovered above her lips though, feeling her warm, moist breath on his face. He opened his eyes and stared into her blue orbs, confused and excited at the prospect of what a few millimeters closer would bring them. However, he stopped himself short of kissing her as suddenly they both heard footsteps hurriedly walking towards the door of the makeshift bedroom.

Allanon, moved back and stood straight as he spotted Catania, the blonde she-elf, rush into the hall. She looked to Alessandra, spotting the young Elemental's blush, and worriedly looked to Bandon on the bed. She took the end of her dress, hiking it up and moving through the hall to stand beside Alessandra.

"Oh no..." Catania's words left her in a soft breath as she moved closer to the bed. She stared down at Bandon as Allanon met Alessandra's gaze. He could see something like disappointment in her eyes as she struggled to return her breathing to normal. He felt the disappointment as well. A sharp pang jolted his heart as he realized how close they had been. He could still feel the warm of her breath on his face, her breasts pushing into his chest, her hands holding onto his elbows.

 _Did she know exactly what I was about to do? That I had lost control? Had she wanted the same? –_ he questioned, but as Alessandra turned her gaze away, he knew the answers to his questions. She had known he wanted to kiss her, had certainly felt his passion, and had enjoyed it. She had not turned from him, had not backed away or shouted. She had allowed him to move at his own pace. Allanon turned away from her and walked back to his place at the bedside, looking down at Catania.

"Why are you here?" His voice hid nothing and spelled out his frustration. She had interrupted them. It was becoming a common thing, people interrupting them. If only he had had a moment longer alone with Alessandra. What would have happened? Would he truly have kissed her?

 _Yes... –_ he relinquished to himself. - _I would have done much more too, given the chance._

He shook those thoughts away and pushed his feelings for the Elemental deep down within himself. He could not allow himself to feel those again until Bandon was safe and free from harm. He was responsible for this mess.

"I just..." The young she-elf looked up at him and sputtered at first before replying. Her voice fell away as she struggled for words. "I just wanted to see him."

She looked back at Bandon, shell-shocked at the sight of him. His condition had not improved any since Alessandra had arrived and she solemnly doubted it would any time soon. Catania sighed and released the breath she had not realized she was holding,

"He cannot sense your presence." Allanon announced without barricade and then gave a sigh when he realized his sharpness. His eyes darted back towards Alessandra, catching her stare at him. "Or your _affection_."

"Then do something!" Catania rounded on him, begging him to act; to make things right. Her gaze turned pointed and accusatory. "You let this happen! Heal him or..."

"I am **trying**." Allanon's voice was firm, but gentle. Alessandra noticed something strange with Bandon. His fingers twitched as though he in fact could sense their presence, understand they were talking about him. Allanon looked to Catania and met her stare. "His mind has gone dark."

Alessandra felt a shift in the air suddenly. The hairs on her arms stood up as though static had filled the small room. She looked to the bed, sensing the strange occurrence was coming from Bandon.

"Get back!" She spoke, but it was too late. Bandon's eyes shot open, black with red veins, and he sat up in the bed. His left hand lurched out and caught Allanon at the forearm. Allanon's head jerked backwards as his mouth opened and eyes grew dark like coal. Alessandra grabbed Catania's arm and dragged the she-elf to her side.

Allanon's body shook, arms out splayed at his side as though he were offering himself up to some deity in the sky. The markings on his neck and back of his head glowed red as if being activated by magic use. Allanon's body seized and released as though he had been overtaken. It was compulsion. Something had rooted itself inside of his body, using him like a marionette.

"Oh no..." Alessandra breathed out, taking in the new energy of the room. It was dark and thick like tar, reeking of sulfur. "Catania, go. Run!"

Alessandra pushed Catania behind her as Allanon turned sharply. He caught Alessandra by the throat, choking the screams right out of her. Alessandra took hold of Allanon's arm, attempting to pry his hold loose. She felt energy surging through her, dark fighting with light as the presence within Allanon forced wicked vigor to course through her veins. She felt the decay come alive, felt the ink tendrils slowly, painful creep up her fingers.

"Allanon, no!" Catania cried out to him, making to move towards him to rip his hold away from Alessandra. With some invisible force, he sent Catania flying backwards into a heap of sacks filled with soil and seeds. Alessandra let her hands fall from the arm that held her throat and took hold of his free arm, forcing it down and away from Catania.

"Let them go!" Prince Arion, having heard the screams on his rounds in the Sanctuary, burst down the short hall with sword drawn. He readied himself for battle, blocking Catania from sight behind him and looking shocked at Alessandra in the Druid's clutch. "Explain yourself!"

Allanon broke Alessandra's hold and thrust another invisible wave of energy this time towards Arion. The prince was sent back beside Catania on the sacks, sword falling to the stone ground with heavy clanks. Alessandra recognized the energy then; dark, chilling, sinister. She had felt it with Bandon at the black henge.

" _Dagda Mor_..." Alessandra sputtered with limited air, recognizing the look in Allanon's eyes; black with red veins. It was just as Bandon's had been. The cursed elf Druid was using the connection he had with Bandon to get to Allanon. Bandon, sitting up in bed, latched a hand onto Allanon's free arm once more as though to supply a better connection. Alessandra gritted her teeth. "Let... them go."

She managed a tight hold on his outstretched arm, right at the crease of his elbow and tried to force it downwards. His attention was forced away from its intended target and she could feel the sight of whatever had the Druid caught shift to her. His gaze moved to her face, reddened with exertion from trying to breathe, and waited only a moment before speaking.

"Elemental." Allanon's once warm, chocolate eyes were black and rounded on her, face void of any emotion except rage. In a swift motion, he released her throat and instead knotted his hand in her hair. He jerked her neck backwards painfully so her face tilted towards the ceiling, eyes watching him from their bases and over her cheeks. She reached her right hand up and endeavored to pry his fingers loose from her hair.

"Prince Arion, take Catania and run!" Alessandra shouted, feeling Allanon tug harder on her hair as if attempting to snap her neck. Arion shuffled Catania out of the room with sword fully drawn and down the short hall to the door. He watched Alessandra for a moment longer, distraught at leaving her there with a Druid gone dark.

"Go now! I have this!" Alessandra shouted at them and both took off running once they were free of the doorway, footsteps fading quickly.

"Daughter of Terra," Allanon's voice sounded wrong. It was too deep, too twisted to be his, "you are a fool. You think you can save the royal family from me? You think you can save anyone from me?"

"The royal family isn't my duty." Alessandra bit out as pain surged through her neck and spine. She turned her left palm at her side, fingers outstretched and tips blackened with decay that slithered up her fingers, towards Allanon. She lined it up with his arm that was clutched by Bandon, who appeared to be caught in a similar entrancement.

She could feel energy; purple, heavy and strong. It collected and pulsated through her in preparation. She turned her palm more so it faced Bandon. Her lips curled into a strained smirk.

"I'm far more concerned with saving my Keeper." She growled as the energy pulsed from her hands in thick, heavy purple bolts of electricity. They struck Bandon square in the chest and the young elf screamed. His voice was hollow and too deep to be human, twisted by something evil. He was thrusted backwards into the headboard of the bed, causing Allanon to react unconsciously as they were connected through their minds.

Allanon's grip tightened and suddenly he threw Alessandra aside with such great force that she felt her feet lift from the ground. She hit her right side against the solid stone wall that separated the room from the short hallway. The wall cracked, chunks crumbling from it as Alessandra's head bashed against it. A searing pain coursed through her mind and forced her attention away from channeling energy. She slumped to the ground, bottom firmly planted and back pressed against the wall as a trickle of thick, red blood ran down the side of her face from somewhere beginning in her hair.

She opened her eyes, vision blurred and mind discombobulated. She watched Allanon as he screamed, as Bandon screamed, as both fought off some invisible force within their minds. Alessandra closed her eyes again, feeling the rush of energies in the room; her own, the decay, Dagda Mor's.

It was too much. She heard her heart beat in her ears, felt her blood coursing through her veins. Then her consciousness floated away from her as her body fell limp. Blood from her head trailed down the side of her face and collected at her jawline. Beads fell to the floor and created a small pool of crimson, each droplet becoming louder and louder in her ears.

After what felt like a long while in the dark, lost somewhere between unconscious and consciousness, she could hear the screaming cease as though all the air in the room had been sucked out. She could feel the air change, growing easier to breathe and lighter as though someone had opened a window. She could sense the darkness recede and light replace it.

" _Aless..."_ The voice was soft and muffled, concern peppering it with realization. Something large and solid rushed to her. She felt a breeze. She heard a sound of rumpling fabric and leather. Someone dropped to their knees before her and took hold of her cheeks in their large hands.

"Alessandra." The voice was familiar; rich, deep, and warm. It reminded her of a summer day, tending the gardens beneath the warmth of the high sun. "Alessandra, can you hear me?"

She couldn't find the energy to speak. Hitting the wall so hard had knocked the wind out of her and the energies of Dagda Mor and the decay had stolen her strength. She opened her eyes slowly and stared at the owner of the voice through half closed lids.

Allanon appeared to be back to normal. His Druid markings were no longer glowing and had returned to the appearance of brands. His hands on her cheeks were firm and tender, holding her head up. His warm brown eyes, colored like fresh soil, were back and gazing at her with earnest worry. She knew better than to trust appearances though.

"Are you hurt?" Allanon's voice was gruff, full of mental anguish at himself, and sounded far away from her. Everything was far away, like a dream. Muffled, foggy, and hazy.

"Alessandra?" He tried again, seeing that something was wrong. She blinked too fast, head was heavy in his hands. Twice today he had failed. Failed to protect Bandon and now her. He had fallen prey to Dagda Mor and hurt her, nearly killed her. He had known everything that was happening while under Dagda Mor's compulsion. He had seen it all, felt it all, and could do naught to fight it.

As Alessandra turned her head some to get a better view of him, he caught sight of the blood running down the side of her face. He moved a gloved hand and wiped some of the blood away from her eye, seeing that she had broken several blood vessels in her collision with the wall. He moved to check her head, peeling her hair that had dried to the wound away. It was a sharp gash, but nothing fatal. She would heal.

Alessandra raised a hand, catching his other that rested against her cheek still. She held it there firmly a moment, feeling out his energy for any hidden intruders. It was unsteady as his heart hammered in his chest, but it had returned to the humming purple she recognized as his own.

"It's me." Allanon breathed out, understanding her wariness. He felt like himself, but that did not mean that whatever or _whom_ ever had compelled him before was not lurking somewhere in his subconscious. Alessandra still seemed leery of him, eyes searching his with meticulous strides as though searching for that very same intruder he worried about. He let his thumb brush over her cheek again and then took hold of her hand that gripped his. He stared down at her fingers, seeing the decay had spread to her knuckles just before reaching the back of her hand. Ink blots of black tendrils spread over the back and palm of her hand like a sickness.

Allanon let out a heavy exhalation as he observed her hands closer. This too was his fault. There was nothing he could do to stop the decay from spreading through her. No medicine, no salve, no magic. He looked back into her eyes; eyes that had not left his face during his inspection and saw more clarity than before.

She stared at him as someone she recognized now. The haze and the murky sensation in her mind drifting away as pain took its place. She let instinct take over and thrust her arms around his neck, closing her eyes tightly. Her hold was firm and demanding of comfort while granting him security. Her arms were like vices, holding him tautly to her, one hand resting on the back of his neck while the other grabbed at his robes.

Allanon froze for a moment, sensing her body shaking against him. He encircled her in his arms tenderly, but firmly. He could hear the Druid in him objecting, but he ignored the voice and focused on his feelings. He could smell the faint scent of orange blossom in her hair and breathed it in deeply, finding it relaxed him. She relaxed him. He suddenly felt protective of her and tightened his hold on her, shielding her in his arms from the rest of the world. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the side of her temple.

"You could have gotten yourself killed." Allanon's voice portrayed his anger, his annoyance, but it was not with her. It was with himself. "I could not stop it. If he had..."

Allanon could not finish his words. The thought haunted him in a way he did not wish to linger on. He could not deny his feelings for her now. Not to himself.

Alessandra remained silent, having nothing to say to him. She did not need to explain herself or her actions, he already understood. All she needed was his arms wrapped protectively around her; his breath in her hair; his strength surging through her. She felt tears spring to her eyes and sniffled, hiding her face in the crook of his neck and his robes. Her throat ached. Her neck pained. Her head throbbed and seared. Being in his arms made it all right though. She tightened her hold on him, fingers digging into his back and his neck.

"I worried you would be gone like Bandon." She breathed out finally and pulled back from him, keeping him within her arms. She allowed her hands to rest on his shoulders, fingers messaging his tense muscles. She dared not look at her hands, not stare at the decay she felt creeping up her hands.

"I thought that as well." Allanon breathed out honestly and then readjusted himself, intending to help her stand. She was weak, but he supported her with an arm wrapped around her waist and her arms around his neck. She moved to lean against his side, cheek pressed into the crook of his shoulder.

"And Bandon?" Alessandra had not wanted to ask, but she needed to know with certainty.

"I fear the worst." Allanon's tone was somber, stricken with sadness and regret. Alessandra pulled her head back and stared up at him with tenderness.

"You did not know." She tried to console him, but she could sense that her words meant nothing. He was in pain. He was angry. "We will free him."

Allanon stood at her side silently, feeling her use him to hold herself up. She was unsteady, in pain, and most certainly suffering from a concussion. He stared at Bandon's sleeping form, content and unaware once more. Heavy, metal footfalls coursed through the Sanctuary. Alessandra looked behind her and saw shadows of guards circling the entrance into the makeshift room.

"Dammit Arion." Alessandra cursed beneath her breath, realizing that the prince had ordered the guards to retrieve Allanon.

"I have to face my actions." Allanon announced and aided her in walking towards the door. It would have been easier to carry her, but he knew better than to sweep her up in her state. She would protest. She would struggle. Ultimately, she would end up hurt worse.

As they stepped out of the groundskeeper's room, they were greeted with spears trained on them both. Behind the guards was Arion, sword at the ready for a battle and an anger in his eyes. He looked from Alessandra's limping form to Allanon.

"He is all right, Arion." Alessandra spoke up, looking around at the guards. It was an excessive amount in her opinion, but she understood. "Call your men off."

"Stand down." Arion ordered and the guards, in tandem, returned to stand with spears at their sides. "The King demands an audience with the Druid for explanation as to his actions."

"Alessandra needs medical attention first." Allanon motioned towards the woman at his side, looking down at her briefly. The sight of the blood, still wet on the side of her cheek, worried him.

"I will survive to fight another day, Allanon. Let's see to the King first." Alessandra urged, sensing that Arion was not about to give them a choice.

"The King wishes to speak to him alone." Arion narrowed his gaze at the woman and she met it with one of her own pointed stares.

"Fine!" Alessandra snapped, feeling the pain and the exhaustion getting the better of her. Since their first meeting, she and the elf prince had not gotten along. Even now, he proved her breaking point. "But I will accompany him there anyway, _princeling_. There I will await my Keeper's judgement from behind those hideous stalks you elves call Throne Room doors."

Arion had nothing more to say. Flabbergasted by her outrage and her pointedness, he nodded at the guards as signal to have them follow behind. They circled Allanon and Alessandra, ensuring no escape, despite the both of them clearly able to break free should they so wish.

"I assume then you have rescinded your rejection?" Allanon's voice was soft, gentle almost as he aided her in their trek out of the Sanctuary. Alessandra could not help the laugh that burst from her lips, expelling all dread and pain from her chest. His tone had been even, but she sensed the joke in his words. The attempt to reconcile at least something small between them.

"Focus Druid. Your hide is about to be on trial. This is not the time." She retorted, appreciating the small moment of calm before the turbulent storm they were heading into.

 _No, it is not. –_ Allanon felt a voice agree deep within him; his Druid half. It grew louder and louder inside his mind, telling him of all his recent follies. If only he had listened to his Druid training, paid closer attention to his responsibilities... quit following after Alessandra simply because the Ellcrys ordered him to, because his human side demanded him to. The Druid in him commanded he aid the Ellcrys, but to aid the Ellcrys wouldn't he have to listen to its demands also? Shouldn't he not accept its advice and take the Vows that would make him Alessandra's Keeper? The last Guardian needed protection herself in order to protect the Ellcrys after all. She could not do that without a Keeper and the Ellcrys itself had told him he was that Keeper.

He knew it was a loophole, an excuse and nothing more to pursue his feelings. He would commandeer it though and take that leap so long as she was willing to fall with him.

"We will discuss this further at a later time then." Allanon spoke up, shaking free from the opposing sides at war in his head. Alessandra looked up at him, sensing something amiss, but nodded in agreement.

"Yes. We will." She could not help that, besides the small leap her heart gave at Allanon's obvious approval, there was something dark lingering over them. A cloud followed overhead, bringing with it the foreboding that something more horrible was about to take place. Something darker followed them, something heartbreaking was on the horizon and it worried her. She wanted to flee. Take her niece, take her brother, take Allanon and run as far away as it took before they were free from this sinister energy's devices.


	14. Chapter 14

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~Throne Room~

Alessandra waited outside the Throne Room as promised, pacing wobblily back and forth before the doors. Guards stood watch, ensuring she would not interrupt the trial that was taking place. Their eyes followed her from beneath their helmets, slowly back and forth as she went. She held tightly to her shirts' sleeves, covering her fingers from view. The last thing she or Allanon needed was for her competence to be questioned as well.

She shook her head of golden tresses and huffed a sigh, declaring this as idiocy in her mind. Did they really think Allanon would actively harm them or anyone? Could they truly be so dim not to have seen nor realized he was under compulsion? ...did they care? Arion had been trying to rid of Allanon since she had arrived. How far exactly would the prince go?

"Aless!" Björn rounded a corner and saw his sister hobbling feebly back and forth in the hall. As she turned to face him, he saw blood dried on the side of her face and caked into her hair. He raced to her and brushed hair back from her face and then her head to examine the wound hiding beneath. "You need a healer."

"I will find one afterwards." She pulled his hands away and stood straighter. Björn shook his head and then gazed at the Throne Room doors to his right.

"What happened?" He began, voice soft and full of disbelief. "People are saying the Druid attacked you and Catania. That his eyes had turned black and he had gone dark."

"Partially lies." Alessandra laughed sardonically and swatted away his hand again as he tried to view the wound. "It was Dagda Mor who attacked me. He used Bandon to get to Allanon and then compelled Allanon to do his bidding. Catania was thrown into a few sacks, unharmed apart from fear I suppose. I forced Allanon's attention to me so she and Arion could escape."

" _What exactly_ _ **were**_ _your intentions, Allanon?"_ The King's voice boomed from behind the thick wooden doors of the Throne Room. Alessandra's gaze befell the doors, worry gripping her heart. The King, Allanon's friend, did not sound so friendly at this moment. Instead, he sounded mad... and slightly gleeful.

" _I meant to use the boy's gift to reach Amberle. I have lost sight of her on her journey."_ Allanon's gruff voice echoed from beneath the doors and through the halls. His tone was gentler, softer as though pleading for understanding. Alessandra could hear the exhaustion in his voice; physical, mental, emotional. _"I believed Bandon could help us."_

" _What I saw was a man overcome by_ _ **evil**_ _, father."_ Arion's voice rang out next, catching the ears of Björn, who did not look pleased. Arion sounded condemning, forcing his hate unto his father in a contest of wills. _"His eyes had turned black and his Druid markings burned. He threw Catania and myself across the room."_

" _You are not_ _ **capable**_ _of understanding what you saw."_ Allanon's tone grew dark and poisonous. He was furious, frustrated, worried. Alessandra could hear it, sense it in his tone. She reached out to him, caressed his mind, but he shut himself off from her. It hurt, but she understood he needed to concentrate.

She began to pace once more with her brother sitting down on a bench outside the Throne Room doors, across the hall. Alessandra looked to the doors as she passed by again, taking a deep breath to keep herself calm. The tension from the Throne Room was seeping into the hall. It was thick and sticky like a hot summer's day. It put her a little more than on edge.

" _You are not yourself, Allanon."_ The King's tone sounded _off_. It seemed splintered in a way she had not heard it before. No longer gentle and tender like that of a grandfather, but instead a pinprick.

Suddenly, the halls were silent like a tomb as the Throne Room fell into further unease. Alessandra halted in her step and stood before her brother sitting behind her on the wooden bench. She faced the doors of the Throne Room and felt the different energies inside; purple, yellow, and one that could not keep from fluctuating.

Alessandra could feel Allanon's dismay of such an accusation posed towards him as well as his dread. Something was wrong. Björn rearranged himself on the bench, leaning closer and taking Alessandra's hand as she stood. He, as an Undine, could feel her emotions and Allanon's by extension. Both were full of worry, fear, shock. Through his sister, he could sense something was very wrong.

"What is it?" Björn questioned quietly, looking up at her. Her eyes had narrowed as she stared off blankly, studying something beyond the doors.

"He has more than one aura." She breathed out, titling her head slightly as she focused on the King's strange energy. It encased him, but was hazy with colors of blue, green, red, and yellow.

" _ **Something is not right here."**_ Allanon's voice came earnestly into her mind, surprising her. Björn felt her grip on his hand tighten, sensing something had happened.

" _ **The King has more than one aura, Allanon."**_ She replied, eyes lingering on the door as though she might be able to spy Allanon through the thick wood. _**"Allanon, speak to me. What can I do?"**_

" _ **Stay there."**_ He ordered gruffly, something changing in his voice.

" _The Dagda Mor used the boy to get inside my mind."_ Allanon's voice held anguish as he tried to explain the situation further. Alessandra heard his familiar boot-falls as he moved about the Throne Room, she guessed to approach the King; his friend.

"Björn." Alessandra looked down at her brother, but he already suspected something had gone awry. He looked up at her and then stood, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

" _The Dagda Mor. Of course!"_ Arion's voice was loud and theatrical, his words a sneer. His yellow energy was growing brighter with anger and exuberance. _"The evil everyone_ _ **fears**_ _, but only you can see. Tell me Druid, do you often commune with demons?"_

"Guards, open the doors." Björn ordered as he strode away from his sister. The guards did not comply and instead stood solemn. Björn straightened and faced the guards with the visage of a high diplomat. "I order you to open the doors."

"The King has ordered us to keep them closed till they have finished." One of the guards proclaimed, unmoving in his armor. As Björn looked back at his sister, they both felt something in the air change. It grew cold, bone chillingly cold. Alessandra's heart came to a screeching halt as Björn looked to her questioningly. When he saw her expression, he froze in his spot. He felt something creeping up on them in his blood; chilling, dark, monstrous.

" _What is the meaning of this?!"_ Allanon's voice was a rumbling growl that could be heard halfway down the long hall from the Throne Room. Carefully, the siblings met each other's gaze again. Nothing was needed to be said between them. Their eyes spoke of all their thoughts and their worries.

"Open the doors." Björn ordered the guards again, but once more they refused. "I order you to open the doors."

"The King has proclaimed–"

"I don't care what the King has proclaimed. I said open the damn doors!" Björn snarled, his voice authoritative, but still the guards refused. Instead, they turned to face each other and shot out their spears, creating a barricade over the Throne Room doors. They would not defy their King's wishes.

" _Why conceal a weapon that has the power to protect us?"_ Arion's voice was accusatory and told Alessandra that Allanon's fate had already been sealed long before entering the Throne Room.

 _Weapon? What weapon…?_ – she questioned silently as she eyed the guards.

" _To protect_ _ **you**_ _?"_ Allanon's voice was grave and bewildered as he slowly began to understand the gravity of the situation. His voice became strained with fury, confusion, and betrayal, _"This sword is not a salvation! It is a talisman of_ _ **evil**_ _! It is a darkness that is a danger to us all."_

" _It is you who are the danger, Druid."_ The King's voice held such finality in them that Alessandra felt her feet moving before she understood what she was planning to do. She let instinct take over, a feral thing that threatened to tear the whole palace down to get to her Keeper.

" _ **Run Alessandra."**_ Allanon instructed her, but she already was. Her stubbornness getting the better of her once again, she dodged the spears of the guards and rammed her shoulder against the wooden doors. The guards were stunned and looked to Björn again for explanation.

"I said open the fuckin' doors!" Björn shouted, feeling his sister's anger fill him. He lifted a knee and caught one of the guards in the diaphragm, sending him to the ground. Alessandra turned around to face the guards. Her arms turned so her palms and fingers sat outstretched toward the guards at her sides. The ground shook beneath her feet as great, thick vines sprung up from the marble and wrapped around the guards' throats, their wrists, their ankles. The guards fell to their knees, hands gripping at their armored throats as the vines clamped tightly and refused to let go. Alessandra felt the rage, the darkness creeping into her veins as the decay gleefully rose within her.

Something within the Throne Room was thrown and hit the door with a hard thud, falling to the floor. Björn watched his sister for a moment, seeing a faint smirk rising on her lips. He rushed her, grabbed hold of her arms, and forced her focus on him.

"You're going to **kill** them." He growled at her and she immediately relinquished her hold, the vines falling limp onto the floor and the decay receding deep within her once more. The guards gasped with sharp intakes of air, one pulling off his helmet to breathe easier.

" _This was my mistake."_ Allanon's voice was low, raspy. Alessandra and Björn struck the door with the full force of their bodies, but it did not budge. They hit it again and again and again, but still it stood resolute.

" _I should have killed you the first time, Demon."_ With the sound of a sword being unsheathed and soaring through the air, something suddenly broke within Alessandra. She backed away from the doors and gripped her chest at her heart as tears sprang to her eyes. A searing, fiery pain coursed through her veins as the decay withered beneath her skin in pleading to be let free. She watched as tendrils of black mass moved beneath her flesh, inching up from her knuckles to her hands and then her wrists. She could not help the cry of utter misery that lurched from deep in her throat.

Björn watched in horror at the sight of his sister's sickness and then raised up his arms above his head. Rushing water fell over the hallway, collecting above his head in a great orb that he used to bash the doors of the Throne Room open with. The water fell away, hastening its escape across the marble floors. His eyes grew wide with sheer shock at the sight before him.

Prince Arion had a sword that looked construed with dark magic in his grasp. He had thrust it up and true through Allanon's abdomen, piercing his right side passed his ribs and clean through.

"Arion," the King spoke lowly and swiftly, delivering his final judgement, "finish him."

"No! Allanon!" Alessandra screamed as she raced passed her brother with all the might her legs had left. The great vines followed her, renewed with life and vigor, banishing guards that tried to stop her. Her heart hammered hard in her chest, blood pumping through her veins and coursing through her ears. The pain spread throughout her like fire over oil; quick, seamless, final. The decay spread up her hands, over her wrists as the pain in her heart worsened.

 _I can make it. I can make it. –_ She told herself again and again.

" _ **Alessandra, run!"**_ Allanon barked at her, sensing her approach. She couldn't leave him though. Something instinctual had clicked within her, taking over. She _needed_ him like a tree needed water; like the sun needed the moon; like stars needed the sky.

"Aless! Stay back!" Björn cried after her, bolting forward with arms outstretched as though to catch her midstride. He was too slow and she was propelled by something stronger than sheer will and strength. he saw it in her face; determination of someone in love.

"Back away, Arion!" Aless screamed again, soaring to Allanon as his knees buckled beneath him. He knelt before the prince, breathing raspy and labored. Blood poured from the wound in his chest like a pot that had sprung a leak. Crimson pooled around him as Arion raised the mangled sword again.

"I said," Alessandra's voice grew low like a growl from an enraged feline as her eyes narrowed, "get away from my Keeper!"

She could feel her emotions running wild, energy flickering deep within her like she had never known before. It sizzled and sparked, coming to life like a wildfire in a desiccated forest. She reached out a hand toward Allanon, fingers and hand covered by decay. She caught a glimpse of his gaze when he turned his head to the right to see her as she leapt towards him. His eyes were filled with fear; for himself, for her.

Something overcame her, growing from deep within her heart. A power unlike any she had ever felt before. Her fingers and hands that had turned black from decay, shifted and grew lighter until they were as white as fresh snow against the tan of her skin. Energy, pure and virtuous, coursed through her veins like white hot lightning. It seized her hands into stiff limbs as something grew in her palm; bright and charged.

Arion lurched the sword forward, plunging it deep within Allanon's chest. Slowly, the Druid began to burn away like the pages of a book. Her left hand landed on his shoulder and she jerked her right in Arion's direction. The bright charge in her palm collided with the elf prince in an array of white lightning, sending him backwards through the air and slamming down on the dais steps of the throne.

"STOP HER!" The King roared as he pushed himself out of his throne, eyes blazing silver and energy shifting from blue, green, red, and yellow to a deep rooted black. She had feared this. That the Changeling had already taken hold somewhere else in the palace. They had not destroyed it after all and here it stood, casting judgement on the only person who could defeat it.

"You're too late _demon_." Aless growled, feeling herself begin to melt away with Allanon. It did not hurt, only tingled like a sunburn days after it had been acquired. She swept her right hand, blackness of the decay returning, in a circular motion. Earthly vines clambered around her and Allanon, protecting them from the clashes of swords and spears the guards wielded. She fell to her knees beside the Druid, slumping as her legs spread out beneath her. She felt Allanon's heavy hand come to rest against her cheek, thumb beneath her eye.

"I told you to run." He growled out, but his anger was lost as his eyes reflected his fear and his pain. He was dying. She knew this. She could see it as blood continued to seep out from his wounds. Alessandra felt fresh tears spring to her eyes and placed her hand against his on her cheek.

"You never said which way." She jested, finding the ability to smile at him.

"My time here is done." Allanon breathed out, voice raspy. He coughed and blood spurted out and onto her dirtied peasant top. Alessandra took her hand from his and placed it against his face, wiping the blood away.

"I know…" Her voice was so soft, so forlorn. He looked back into her eyes and saw resolve in her deep blue orbs. She leaned her cheek into his hand and closed her eyes, kissing the palm of his glove. "So too shall mine be."

"It did not have to." Allanon watched her as she shook her head in his hand and opened her eyes. The vines around them constricted, inching closer to them as the mystical flames ate them up from bottom up.

"I cannot survive without my Keeper." Alessandra admitted gently and smiled at him again. She took her hand back from his cheek and laid it against his wrist. "I was soon to perish one way or another without you."

"We go together then." Allanon breathed out, finding the strength to smile back at her. His hand against her cheek moved to settle beneath her hair against the back of her neck. He stared at her for what felt like forever as the mystical flames continued to devour them.

What a creature she was; stunning, loyal, tender, and strong. She was everything he ever needed. Everything he had **always** needed. He wished they had more time, wished he had listened to his human half and pursued her. He wished things were different.

"Together." She confirmed and leaned forward. She captured his lips suddenly and by surprise, leaving Allanon's weary and troubled mind to catch up. Her lips were supple and smooth as they fit against his own. A shockwave surged through him, new emotions rising from deep within his heart. Ice melted, giving way to a tidal wave. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing her back fiercely without fear as the mystical flames consumed them and left nothing in their place.

The vines were eaten by flame, collapsing into ash on the marble floor of the Throne Room. Nothing was left inside of Alessandra and Allanon. Nothing but ash and blood.

* * *

"ALESSANDRA!" Björn cried out with tears clouding his eyes. His face was red, mouth agape in a horrid scream of disbelief. Björn called up the waters and thrust the guards away from where the cocoon of vines had sheltered his sister and her Keeper. He fell to his knees as the waters fell about him like tidal rains. He leaned back on his heels, soaked to the bone.

"Where did he go?" Arion finally found his voice as he picked himself up from the dais steps and stared at where the Elemental and Druid had been. The King stood from his throne and placed his hands on his son's shoulders.

"You did it, my son." The King's features contorted into a sick smirk as he stared down at the ashes. "The Druid is no more and neither is the Elemental."

"She wasn't supposed to die." Arion breathed out, unbelieving of what had just happened. He felt the weight of his father's hands on his shoulders and the remorse that surged through him.

"She needed to be dealt with as well. Tow birds, one swing of the sword." The King's words were hollow and sinister. Arion felt something deeply wrong with them.

"You **murdered** my sister!" Björn hollered, spit flying from his mouth as tears raced down his cheeks. His face was red with fury, steel grey eyes changing shades to resemble a thunderstorm. Water pooled before him once more, droplets collecting from all corners of the room to form a puddle.

"She tried to protect the Druid. He was tainted, tried to kill your sister earlier. I saw it with my own eyes!" Arion tried to quell the fire burning within the emissary's heart. Though, he doubted anything that anyone said now would console him. He truly felt sorry for what had happened to his sister, what **he** had done to cause her to give up her own life.

"You have no idea what you saw, elf!" Björn sneered back and stood from the ground, water growing before him and churning like a whirlpool. "Your kind claims wisdom, but you have none! You could never understand!"

"Enough _boy_! Calm yourself or we will be forced to deal with you as well." The King's voice was firm, but off. Arion looked back at his father, shaking off his hands on his shoulders and shook his head.

"There has been enough death today, father. He is grieving." Arion tried to reason, but the hollow stare of the King told him there would be no tolerance. Arion looked back to Björn, seeing the whirlpool grow before their eyes. He stepped off the steps of the dais and came to stand before the whirlpool, connecting his gaze with the emissary's.

"Stop this now!" A shrill, older voice clamored out above the sound of the rushing waters. Footsteps entered the room, slapping against the marble floor as someone placed a hand on Björn's shoulder, gripping firmly in reassurance. "Calm yourself, boy."

The voice was older, feminine, and snapped Björn back into the present. The whirlpool died down slowly as did his emotions, returning to a balance. Björn looked to Penelope, small and frail looking despite the raw power lurking deep within her. Her gaze held his in a silent contest of wills.

"Your sister knew what she was doing, Björn. She understood her choice." Penelope's voice was barely above a whisper, meant for his ears only. Regardless of his desire to drown them all here and now with the full force of what his abilities could do, Björn ceased and withdrew his anger. He felt hot, angry tears race from his eyes and Penelope's hand on his back.

"Come boy." Penelope led her grandson towards the open doors of the Throne Room with her hand never leaving his back and her powers offering him consolation and comfort. As they headed out, she looked back and met the hollow stare of the King, who held a dark grin on his lips. With a final glance, she stepped out of the room and the doors once again shut.

"Penelope, the King–"

"Hush, boy. Keep your voice down." She silenced him in one fell swoop with a sharp tone. Her eyes darted left and right as she continued to lead him away. She allowed her hand to fall to her side as her pale yellow and tan dress swayed as she walked. "The walls have ears. Do not worry for Alessandra. She no longer has to fear. We, however, have found ourselves in a pit of vipers. We must prepare for what is coming next."

Björn said no more and followed his estranged grandmother through the long hallways as the weight of his sister's death lay heavily upon him. Penelope led him outside the palace and passed its walls to a clearing where Aria awaited them. In her hands, was a book; the Druid Codex.

"Patruus!" Aria exclaimed and ran at him with the full force of the wind behind her. She slammed into him, knocking the wind from him, and dropped the book at his feet. She wrapped her arms around him, not caring for his soggy state of being, and then looked to Penelope. "I got the book like you asked."

"How? That was in the Throne Room." Björn breathed out in surprise. Aria grinned at him and looked to Penelope with glee.

"She is a Sylph, your niece." Penelope picked up the Codex from the ground and brushed off the dirt. She then moved to a tree stump, sitting down upon it and resting the Codex in her lap. She laced her hands over top of it and moved her stare back to Björn.

"Explain." Björn spoke one word, knowing she would have cut him off had it been any longer. Penelope took a deep breath and sighed, exhausted by it all in her old age. While Elementals were thought to be immortal, that couldn't be further from the truth. Blessed with long life and nothing more unless a Guardian. His grandmother was surely thousands of years old then, but had one foot in the grave.

"I did not feel your sister pass, but I do not feel her energy now as I speak." Penelope began. Aria let go of her uncle and instead took his hand, holding tightly. She had not known what had happened, only that her aunt's energy had disappeared in an instant.

"Something happened to Amita?" Aria stared up at her uncle in question, the small gaze of the child was demanding. Despite her age, she was mature and she wanted to be treated so.

"I don't understand Penelope." Björn ignored his niece for the time being as he felt he could handle her anger with him later. Right now, he needed answers. Taking Aria along with him, Björn moved closer to Penelope.

"I do not either." She reiterated and looked out among the trees. "It is a strange thing not to feel an Elemental's energy pass along with their body. Stranger still not to feel her presence if she is still alive. Something else is afoot here."

She looked to her right where the trees parted to reveal a cliff. She stared out passed the cliff, mind losing itself in the freedom the clear air promised.

"And the Druid?" Björn asked the question before he could truly think about it. His concern grew from the fact he knew his sister cared for him. Penelope looked down at the Codex in her lap and licked her cragged lips before sighing too heavily for comfort.

* * *

~Druid Cave~

Alessandra stirred from her place on the ground, something soft yet scratchy beneath her. In the distance she heard thunderous clashing waves and seagulls called to her from high above. She felt the warmth of the sun on her face despite no light striking her. Something lapped at her toes; wet and cool. She took a deep inhale of seaweed scented air and released, feeling her muscles ache and groan. She opened her eyes to stare up at cloudy grey skies, fingers clenching and releasing sand beneath her subconsciously.

She picked herself up on her elbows, starring down at the sea that lapped at her sandaled feet. She watched the waves patiently as they rolled in and were pulled out again. It calmed her to watch, to listen. It was like a distant dream she had had once. Alone and at peace as her worries drifted away with the changing tide.

She looked down at her clothes, wet completely through and stained with deep red colors. Her shirt was singed at the sleeves, a hole burned through her pants on her right outer thigh that exposed damaged painful flesh, and a large chunk burned away from the right side of her shirt that exposed her hip and ribs with more wounds. She raised one of her hands and examined the black markings that had replaced the temporary white drawn on with special mud.

The decay had spread... and permanently. Whatever magic Penelope had worked was wearing off. The decay was now firmly fixed over her hands, stopping at her wrists with thick tendril beginning to climb her forearms.

 _How can that be though? Why does it continue to grow?_ – she questioned gently, confused by something. She took in her surroundings, seeing great stone pillars of rock sparsely settled about as land was eroded through time. She struggled to remember how she had gotten here. She struggled to form any rational thought at all before waking up on this beach.

Where had she been?

Why was she here?

Where _was_ here?

Why were her clothes in shambles?

Why was she burned?

Why did her head hurt so horribly?

 _ **"Alessandra... where are you?"**_ She heard the voice call out to her in her mind. She closed her eyes and tried to sense where it was coming from. She could feel a presence in the back of her mind, prodding her gently and asking for entrance. It felt familiar, but she could not place a name nor face to it.

She opened her eyes and stared out over the ocean water, watching the waves crash against the sand. She felt her mind drift away with each pull of the tide, her worry and pain subside and turn into soreness.

" _ **May the sacred fire heal me**_ …" The voice came again inside her mind and once more she was confused. Who was this speaking? What were the sacred fires and why did this voice need them to heal them?

"Hello?!" She called out as she picked herself up, squinting against the blare of the light on the ocean water. To her left and right were nothing more than sand and sea and sky. Endless and forever. "Is someone there?"

"… _ **and the Earth's mist make me."**_ The man's voice came again, soft and determined, but flittering away. The words she recognized as Druid magic, calling forth ancient healing powers. But the Druids were all gone, weren't they…?

She could sense this man was weak, his lifeforce seeping away like the tides of the ocean. Alessandra watched the clouds in the sky as they formed shapes, intelligible and abstract.

" _ **Alessandra."**_ He called to her once more, a request that sat all to hauntingly within her bones. She had heard this tone before with the call of her name, had heard this voice before now. Alessandra turned around and saw a cave, mouth open and darkness spilling out. It called to her, begged her to remember, to understand.

She headed up the beach, tripping in the sand when her right leg gave out and picking herself back up. She walked through a horde of seagull, crying and squawking at her to stay back. She stopped before the mouth of the cave and stared into the darkness. She could see nothing, hear nothing part from the ocean waves and the cry of the gulls. She looked back behind her at the beach.

Something called to her, tugged on her to head back to the water. Oh! – how she wanted to feel the waves wash over her skin. Feel the wet sand between her toes. Search for seashells that Aria would love to call her own. She felt her feet begin walking back towards the sea, something distant and comforting calling to her.

" _ **Alessandra... where are you...?"**_ He called to her again, the man shrouded in the darkness of the cave. _**"Come to me, Alessandra."**_

She looked back at the ocean again and took a deep breath. The smell of the salt, of the seaweed, of the sand was so delicious. She felt something stronger pull on her, turning her back towards the cave. She took a cautious step closer and tripped in the sand, crashing against the entrance of the cave. Pain struck her, bruising on her right side where exposed flesh sat.

She could hardly see anything inside. She smelled the mildew and the cold stone as air wafted passed her. A shape appeared in the center of the cold, dank cavern and she squinted to get a better look. Instantly, she recognized the form as memories raced back into her mind.

"Allanon!" She moved inside and found he was laying on a stone table, furs beneath him and in nothing more than tan shorts made from sacking. The realization that this was one of Bandon's visions frightened her to the core. She stumbled as she moved closer, seeing blood pooling from the wounds in his chest as she had back in the Throne Room.

"Allanon, I'm here. Can you hear me?" She moved to his side and placed a hand to the top of his head. She looked down at his wounds and then looked to her waist belt where once she had her small satchel with her stones. It now sat empty, having left them in her room before returning to the Sanctuary.

"Damnit...!" She cursed herself and looked back down at his still form. She saw his chest rise and fall slowly, breathing labored. She placed a hand over the wound on his right side and applied pressure to cease the bleeding. "Allanon?"

He stirred, raspy groans emitting from deep in his throat. His head shook slowly from left to right as he struggled to open his eyes. Alessandra found her left hand nestling in his hair, massaging his scalp.

"I'm here." Alessandra spoke gently to him, firm pressure on his wound as she struggled to call forth enough energy to heal him. Tears prickled her eyes as she bit her lip, trying to keep from crying in pain and in anguish. "Allanon? Please, can you hear me?"

His eyes fluttered open, staring blankly at the ceiling of the cave and then turned to face her. He looked through her though, eyes seemingly blank as no recognition passed his features. Either he didn't recognize her or he didn't see her at all.

He looked away again and closed his eyes, wincing in pain. He opened them once more, staring towards his feet.

"Bremen…?" Allanon's voice was strained as he stared off at something at the mouth of the cave. Alessandra looked and then shook her head in earnest only seeing the sun peeking out from the clouds.

"No. No, Allanon. It's **me**. It's _Alessandra_." She spoke gently and looked at his wounds again, seeing blood pooling beneath him and her hands covered in the dark liquid. It trailed down the side of the stone table and settled on the ground of the cave.

 _He's going to bleed out and there is nothing I can do. –_ Alessandra thought desperately, feeling her tears well up and spill onto her cheeks.

"I have walked these lands for over three hundred years." Allanon winced again, sputtering blood from his mouth and over onto his chin. "I am _tired_... tired of people refusing to believe the truth."

She understood him, understood his words. She knew the tiredness of which he spoke. A great weight that one trailed with them through centuries of life; building, growing, threatening to consume you.

Allanon raised a hand towards some mysterious being he believed stood at the entrance of the cave. Alessandra followed his hand, but saw nothing again. She closed her eyes, allowing her other senses to take hold. She struggled; exhausted and hurt herself. Then... she felt him.

It was a male presence in the cave with them. He was older and wiser, strong and soothing. His energy was a deep shade of blue that stretched out towards Allanon.

"I am ready to leave, Master." Allanon's words struck Alessandra to her core and forced her eyes open again. She shook her head slowly at first and then more fervently. Allanon inhaled, breath raspy and labored. "I am ready to join you on the other side."

"No, Allanon. You cannot mean that. Not _now_..." She shook her head earnestly as the hand in his hair stroked faster. "You can't... you can't leave. Not yet. _Please_."

She spun around, tears spilled from her eyes and trailed in heavy lines down her weathered cheeks. Her eyes darted left and right, unsure of where the other Druid was in the cave with them.

"Please, do not take him. Not yet." She pleaded, finding her words becoming choked in her throat. Her mouth became stiff, throat sore, large hot tears welling in her eyes. "Please, we still need him... **I** need him."

Allanon suddenly groaned as a searing pain shot through him. He laid his head back down on the stone table, eyes closed tightly. Alessandra began to cry harder, fearing the worst had come. She continued to plead, to beg.

"Please... please don't go... stay with me..." She cried at his side and stroked his hair, thumb brushing across his forehead. He stirred again, head shaking from side to side in her hand as though to pretest against her pleas. He opened his eyes again and looked to the woman on his right. Who was she? Why was she begging him to stay?

He turned his attention back on his master that hovered at the end of his tomb. He concluded that only he could see Bremen.

 _"It is not your time."_ Bremen, Allanon's master, spoke to his apprentice and confirmed Allanon's fear, insinuating that Allanon still needed to live. _"There is still much for you to do."_

"What more can I do?" Allanon breathed out, labored and tired as he turned his head away from Alessandra. "Alone?"

"No, Allanon. I'm here." Alessandra tried to smile, feeling her lips falter as she realized he still did not know she was there. She took her hand from his hair and forced his head to turn towards her. He refused to open his eyes. She sucked on her lips, trying not to cry again and wiped a dribble of blood from his lips. "I'm right **here**. I won't go anywhere, but you need to be strong. Without you, I cannot do what the Ellcrys needs. Only together can we be successful. Without you... my life has no meaning."

" _Look at her, Allanon."_ Bremen nodded his head once in Alessandra's direction, but Allanon shook his head in defiance. _"Look how she weeps for you."_

Allanon opened his eyes and stared at the strange woman to his right. Heavy tears fell from her reddened eyes, the blue clashing against it. She was bruised and burned, bloodied and muddied. Her touch was tender as though caressing a lover.

" _Listen to how she pleads for you to live."_ Bremen spoke again and this time Allanon found himself mesmerized by the woman beside him. She looked down at his wound again, seeing her right hand stained with his blood as she lifted it up. She closed her eyes tightly, turned her head into her shoulder and let out a small sob before taking a deep breath to gather herself. She turned back, sniffled, smiled and sighed.

"Allanon... _Amator_ , I don't know if I have the strength to heal you." She admitted softly, tenderly as though consoling him for the end. She leaned closer to him and pressed a small kiss to his temple, his eyes moving to watch her in every motion. She leaned her forehead against his and sniffled, "But I will try with all I have if that is what you want. I will not force you to live if all you desire is death."

 _Amator...?_ – Allanon mulled over the term in his mind. She had said it so affectionately, so dotingly that it sent a flame surging through him. Allanon let his head fall back, groaning in pain as his master lifted a hand to begin healing his wounds.

"Allanon?" Alessandra felt fear pierce through her heart. Was he simply in pain or was this the end? Closing her eyes, she took another breath and huffed to release her stress, her pain, her worry. She calmed herself until her mind was a blank slate. She concentrated, calling to the energy as she placed her right hand on his chest at the center. She felt a warmth build in her chest, creeping along her arm to her hand like molasses. A soft, golden glow began to emit from her palm as his wounds began to heal. It was slow, horribly slow.

Alessandra felt her strength wane quickly as sweat beaded at her brow and her own wounds seared with suffering. She opened her eyes and stared down at Allanon, his groans building into screams of agony. She looked back at the wound and saw something peculiar; a blue glow coming from inside the wound. She wanted to say something, thank Allanon's master, but she needed to concentrate.

 _"Do you see my apprentice? You are not alone."_ Bremen spoke to Allanon, watching the Elemental as she worked her hardest. She pumped every ounce of her energy into the dying Druid in an effort to save him. " _Without you she cannot fight what is coming. You must be strong. The world is at a tipping point. Without you, all will be lost."_

"Bremen…" Allanon breathed out with the last of his strength, eyes rolling into the back of his head. Alessandra closed her eyes again and focused harder, pushing more of her strength, more of the energy she channeled into him. She felt pain sear through her, felt the decay in her hands churn with anticipation. It soared up her forearms and she could feel it grip her heart, refusing to let go. She coughed, feeling something thick and sticky lodge in her throat and threaten to choke her. She coughed again and again, labored and trying to rid of the sickly mass. Suddenly, she spat out the black bulk onto the cave floor at her feet.

She stared at it a moment, concern and panic striking her. She then turned away from it to ignore it, pushing passed everything. She felt the energy flow freely through her as did the decay. She watched at the wounds heal tight, no visible scars to be seen and then let her hands fall away. She felt her legs going weak and allowed herself to stumble backwards further into the cave until she hit the back wall. She crumbled to the ground and leaned her head back as darkness threatened to overcome her.

She watched Allanon, seeing the glowing blue encase him as he let loose a horrible holler of anguish. Alessandra's vision blurred as her eyes rolled into the back of their sockets. She felt her body sliding to the left, her limbs weak, and hit the ground hard. She struggled to keep her eyes open, struggled to fight against the darkness and the decay that threatened to swallow her whole. Within moments, she lost her battle and succumbed.

The cave sat quiet for many moments as both Druid and Elemental were consumed by shadow. Both were quiet. Both were still. The cave was like a tomb. The seagull cried from out on the beach as the waves crashed against the sand and rock.

Allanon took in a breath sharply as his eyes burst open. He raised his hands to see they were gloved and then sat up, finding that he was suddenly fully clothed. A staff in sat to his left against the stone table. He examined it, eyes scanning over the markings etched into the gold and lingering on the blue crystal that sat atop it. Druid markings. Ancient markings. He looked over his clothing, his Druid robes unmarred by flame or blood.

He picked it up and noticed something strange on the stone table. A bloody handprint. Fingers too slender to be his own, trailing down over the side and disappearing. He swung his legs and looked down at the pool of blood on the cave floor. Something more peculiar stood out against the crimson; black and thick like flem. He slid off the table and examined the mass closer. His eyes trailed back to the handprint, mind struggling to put the threads in place.

"Alessandra..." He breathed out as her visage passed through his mind. She had been there with him, in the Throne Room. She had tried to protect him from the prince and the King. She had come to his side, brought Earth itself with her, surrounding them in a cocoon of vines. She had allowed herself to be swallowed up by the Druid flames as the second blow to his heart with the Warlock Blade had ended him.

She had kissed him.

He had kissed her.

She had been here in the cave with him. She had spoken to him, cried for him, pleaded with him to stay. She had been bruised, burned and bleeding, suffering still from wounds he had caused in the Sanctuary. Where was she now?

"Alessandra?" He felt urgency strike him as he searched the cave to his left. He turned to his right on the other side of the stone table. She was no where in sight. He moved to the mouth of the cave and peered out across the beach, the waves, but still her visage was far from sight.

"Alessandra!" He called out, but only the cries of the seagulls answered him. He moved back to the stone table and grabbed the staff, intending to search the entire landscape for her if need be. But it wasn't needed. She wasn't outside.

His eyes landed on her form at the back of the cave. She lay immobile and slumped on the cave floor with her damp hair covering her face from view. Something dripped from her lips onto the cold stone she lay on; dark and thick. Panic filled his veins as he watched her unmoving form. He approached her slowly.

"Alessandra?" He crouched down beside her, setting the staff to the side. Her body was limp with palms of her hands facing upwards on the ground before her. He brushed away her hair from her face, placing one gloved hand to her cheek. From the corner of her mouth was a dark, sticky substance that resembled the other mass he had found on the ground. Instead of red, it was as black as the decay he had seen on her fingers earlier that day.

His eyes moved lower to her hands, seeing the decay had spread over her wrists like thick veiny tendrils that reached for further up her arms. He took her hands in his own, turning them over to see the full extent of their reign. He dropped her hands and picked her up carefully from the floor. She was lighter than he had imagined, her earthly frame deceiving. He set her on the table, brushing her hair away from her face once more.

"Alessandra." He called to her gently, but fervently. He watched her carefully and noticed now how horribly the battered shape she was in. Her clothes were destroyed by the flames, eaten away in places that exposed her delicate flesh. He saw on her side where the shirt had been burned and singed, exposing her ribs, that deep bruises and sears resided there. He touched her right thigh gently and turned it slightly so he could see the burn that marred her flesh.

He had not noticed that her eyes had fluttered open, heavy with exhaustion. She watched him as he looked her over, tenderly pressing fingers to her damaged body. They peeled back parts of her ruined pants, exposing more of the marred flesh beneath. He took hold of the tear and pulled, ripping the one pant leg into shorts. His gloved fingers ran over her skin, tracing the damage that marred her from outer to inner thigh. His right hand ceased, palm firmly pressed against her inner thigh while his left tenderly prodded the burned skin.

"Dammit woman..." His voice was a low growl, but not full of anger. Instead, she heard concern; deep rooted and heartfelt. Despite her pain, she felt provocation of emotions deep within herself from his tone and his touch.

"Allanon...?" Her voice was low with exhaustion, but her eyes were bright beneath hooded lids. He met her stare and noticed her lips were stained in patches from the black mass, but curved up into a smile that reached those deep blue pools he thought so fondly of. "You stayed with me."

"No." He replied, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. "I stayed **for** you."

Allanon looked down at his hand on her inner thigh. Emotions from earlier, wrapped in her cocoon of vines and enveloped in an embrace that threatened to suffocate them both, rose up again. A fire burned within him and he ached to caress her further. Sensing this, her hand crept to his and sat on top, lacing her fingers through his to hold him prisoner there against her thigh and so close to the heat of her loins.

"I thought I had lost you." She breathed out as tears prickled her eyes. He could see the blood vessels were still broken, adding to the detriment of her situation.

"You're infuriating." He breathed out through gritted teeth, but it was not meant to be mean. Instead, it was filled with unspoken desire. She infuriated him in so many ways, endearing ways that set him ablaze.

"So, I've been told." She breathed out, feeling darkness coming to claim her again. "That sword... I believed it resided in a vault at Druid's Keep in Paranor set in a block of Tre-Stone?"

"It _was_... I don't know how it ended up in Arborlon." Allanon replied, condemning the prince and the Changeling who had used it. Allanon noticed her falling prey to unconsciousness and tugged his hand free from hers. He hauled her to him, right shoulder against his chest, and slid his right arm beneath the back of her knees. He cradled her to him, left arm behind her shoulders, and her head against his chin.

"Allanon?" She questioned gently, feeling her body rock back and forth in his arms as he carried her out of the cave. She saw a staff strung across his back and wondered where it had come from and when he had secured it there.

"Yes?" He replied, looking down at her briefly and then carrying her out of the cave and into the sunlight. She looked better than he had originally surmised in the dark cave. She was caked in blood that was not her own. It stained her shirt and what remained of her pants, mussed into her dirty hair. She had scrapes on her face, broken vessels in her eyes, and burns along her ribs and thigh. She would live though.

"You're not alone anymore and neither am I." Alessandra lifted her head, forcing him to meet her gaze as she wrapped her right arm around his shoulders. He halted, standing in the sand with her in his arms. He jostled her, tossing her up slightly so he could manage a better hold. It made her smile, despite the ache it caused. He saw something in her eyes, something meaningful and powerful. Something he had not seen in someone's eyes towards him in many centuries.

"What are you talking about?" He was unsure of her words, of the stare.

"I accept you as my Keeper." She breathed out and he swore he had misheard her. The roar of the waves, the call of the gulls – surely, he had not heard what he believed he had? In her smile and the heartfelt stare that lingered on him, he understood her words were true. "Will complete the rites and take Vows with me?"

"Do I have a choice?" He prodded, taking a deep breath. He saw her features change, her smile drooping.

"Always." She replied, unsure of what he might say next. Had she been wrong? Had she waited too long to accept? She licked her cry, cracked lips and slumped into his hold. "It was always your choice, Allanon."

"After we defeat the Changeling." Allanon confirmed and began walking again towards the forest. Alessandra perked up, warmth spreading through her as butterflies swarmed her belly. "That is when we will take our Vows."

Alessandra turned away from him and nested herself back into his arms. She felt strange. A good kind of strange. Something she had not felt in many centuries. But it was soon obliterated.

" _ **Alessandra."**_ The craggy voice of Penelope filled her mind. Her panic words halted Alessandra's breath. _**"You are alive."**_

" _ **Yes."**_

" _ **Is the Druid with you? Are you both all right?"**_

" _ **Yes, Penelope. What is wrong? You sound unnerved."**_ Alessandra replied, her stillness catching Allanon's attention. He stared down at her, taking quick breaks to make sure he was walking on the right path. Alessandra knew something else was wrong, not just the realization that she was alive had startled Penelope. Something else caused her stress.

" _ **The princes."**_ Penelope's voice was winded as though she ran. _**"The King has sent them both to the Black Henge, child. They have the sword!"**_

"Allanon," Alessandra began and felt her heart race. She looked to him, meeting his stare as he stopped before the woods that hid the beach, "the king sent Ander and Arion to the Black Henge with the sword."

Allanon looked from her to the forest and then back again. His mind raced. He couldn't carry her in her state to the Black Henge. She sensed Allanon's dilemma like a wave of electricity coursing through her. Alessandra placed her right hand on the back of Allanon's neck, fingers messaging the flesh there. He looked to her, struggling internally.

"Set me down and go after the princes." She instructed him, but his moment of silence told her he did not like the idea.

"You're injured. You need healing." He argued, voice gruff like sandpaper on glass. He looked her over quickly assessing her wounds. She smiled at him and squeezed the back of his neck reassuringly.

"They need _saving_." Alessandra argued back, stressing the word. She smiled at him. "I will live. If you do not help them, they may not."

He looked as though he wanted to protest again. The Druid in him agreed with her, for once, pleading with Allanon to rescue the princes. The human in him didn't want to leave her side. She was too weak to fight should something menacing find her. He would never forgive himself if she...

"Go _Amator_." Alessandra tugged herself out of his hold and stood before him unsteadily. "They need you now."

"What does that mean? Amator?" He questioned, something about the term warming him as it had before. Alessandra stumbled back and leaned against a tree, sliding down to sit on the ground.

"I will tell you when you have finished rescuing the princelings." She tantalized him, making a small barter to get him to go. He moved closer to her and knelt beside her, placing a hand on the side of her head comfortingly. Alessandra leaned into his touch and smiled at him, worry floating in her eyes. "Please, be safe."

"I will." Allanon leaned closer hesitantly and placed his lips to her forehead. He closed his eyes and pressed them deeper against her skin, relishing the moment for a fleeting time.

"Promise you will come back to me, Keeper." Alessandra's voice wavered. She knew the danger he was heading for; Dagda Mor. She could not help him. Not in her state. She needed to trust and believe that he had the strength, the power, the will to survive what was ahead. She needed to believe.

"I promise you, Alessandra." Allanon pulled back from her forehead and stared meaningfully into her eyes. There for the first time she saw it, an emotion that promised her a future not doomed to walk alone. He would come back to her. "I swear it to you."

"Good." She breathed out, tears prickling her eyes again as she tried to smile through them. "Now go. Go with the force of the wind and the strength of the earth."

Allanon stood up and gave a single nod of his head, eyes lingering on her for as long as he could allow. A dreadful feeling reared up in his chest that this would be the last time he saw; broken, bleeding, and smiling at him. He closed his eyes and forced himself to turn away from her, rushing into the forest as the image of her disheveled appearance burned into his mind.

" _ **Child?"**_ Penelope's voice called out from far in the distance of her mind. It was a comfort in her solitude.

" _ **Yes Penelope?"**_ Alessandra reached out to her estranged grandmother, feeling the sickness of Allanon's leave fill her. It molded and burned like acid.

" _ **Has the Druid gone after the princes?"**_

" _ **He has."**_ Alessandra bit her bottom lip and turned her face upwards towards the sky. She bit back her cries, closed her eyes against her tears. She sniffled hard, took a deep breath and then licked her lips. _**"Please send my brother to fetch me."**_

" _ **He's already on his way."**_ Penelope replied, voice trailing off as she sensed Alessandra's need to be alone. She sensed the trouble, the turmoil within her granddaughter. She sensed the decay battling for dominance... and winning. _**"Alessandra?"**_

" _ **Yes, Penelope?"**_

" _ **...have you made your choice?"**_

The question hung in the air like a kite, swaying in the breeze and allowing itself to be carried gently wherever the universe demanded. Her choice... the phrase seemed bitter. She never had a choice in the matter. This was always her fate; the decay, being a Guardian. It was what she was created for and the fates would be damned if she would have a say. But she did have one say. One seemingly meaningless say in all of it. Who would be her Keeper. That had been the only choice she was ever allowed to make. Hers and hers alone. Whether the Keeper accepted, it was her final say. That made her feel powerful, have some shred of control over her own life.

" _ **Yes."**_ Alessandra breathed out, heavy and tired. She felt her grandmother's anticipation, her anxiety. Which would she choose? What would be her fate?

" _ **What will it be?"**_ Penelope asked when Alessandra had not told her.

" _ **We will take our Vows after he saves the princes."**_ Alessandra breathed a sigh of relief at finally making the decision. Though, deep within her it felt like a sentencing for Allanon. He had no idea what it entailed, what it meant. He may have feelings for her, but that wouldn't be enough in the end if that was all he ever had. He wouldn't be able to save her, even as her Keeper, if he didn't love her.

" _ **I will prepare then."**_ With that, Penelope was gone completely from her mind. Nothing except worry and pain was left behind in Alessandra as she sat on the forest floor, back against the tree. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the distant ocean waves, the calls of the seagulls, the breeze through the branches of the forest. Normally, here, she would have found peace. Instead, she found only heartache.

"Please, bring him back to me." She begged whatever higher being may be listening, wishing she could do something to aid him. "Keep him safe for me."


	15. Chapter 15

**Longest author's note EVER:**

I apologize for the long wait! Life has thrown me a few curve balls and I am trying to keep my head above water. I would love to tell you I will update soon, but I don't believe that will be the case. I hope to have a new chapter out at least in the next two or so weeks. This story doesn't have very long to go anyways. I never intended it to go passed 20 chapters. Might hit 25. Also debating on whether or not to make a sequel to follow season two of the Shannara Chronicles. I'll put up a poll closer to when this story is getting ready to end. Forewarning, this chapter has a lot of division in it because it breaks up the days that go by. Sorry.

Thank you guys for being so great and patient. Special thanks to **swingrlm** for all the love and encouragement! You are AWESOME!

* * *

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

Alessandra felt herself lifting; floating. Her body rocked gently from side to side as she was carried away like a boat on the sea. She felt the sun on her face, warmth on her back, and feebleness in her bones. It was silent here in her own mind, rocking side to side. She was weightless.

 _Is this death?_ – she questioned gently, but received no reply and only the sounds of soft chirping from birds that rode in the skies with her. – _Has it finally happened? Am I freed somehow?_

A horse whinnied somewhere in the distance and sounded off; hazy, far away as though she stood at the top of a cliff and the horse was too far beneath for her to see. She heard the heavy clops of hooves; rhythmic and drumming. She felt something strong and firm wrap around her waist as she bobbed forward, pulling her tighter into the warmth at her back.

" _Yah_!" Someone shouted in the distance, voice familiar but muffled. " _Nos ire citius, Bellona!"_

She could hear heavy breathing near her ear and then the heavier breaths of a horse charging with all their might.

 _Allanon? Is that you? Have you come back for me? –_ She questioned, but her thoughts went unanswered. The gallops grew faster, hooves striking the earth with such shuttering force that she bounced side to side with little restraint.

"Hold on, Aless." The voice of her brother filled her ear, circled her like waves of the calm summer ocean. "We are almost there."

She wanted to open her eyes, but she could not find the strength. Her limbs were limp like wet noodles, muscles aching and screaming in protest of the jostling. With the steady, rhythmic motion of the horse and of the sounds of its hooves, she was coerced back into a deep sleep.

* * *

~One Day Later~

"I don't know if this will work." The craggy voice was soft and frustrated at the notion of something. Cloth swept across the floor as small footsteps followed. "She's badly injured on top of everything else."

Alessandra wanted to open her eyes, but found she still had no strength. She laid in something comfy, heavy covers pulled over her. Her bed at the palace? How had she gotten here? Wasn't she just sitting in the forest?

No sunlight struck her face. This must mean it was likely late in the day or even nightfall. But which day? How long had she been out? Why did she not hear Allanon's voice? Why did she not feel his presence?

"Well, try it any way. We don't have a lot of options. Whatever she did there has backfired." The second voice was deeper, fervently trying to get the first person to accomplish some task. She recognized it, but the name stuck to her tongue and refused to leave her lips.

"It's not what she _did_. It's what she's been **doing**." The craggy voice replied, frustration with the man growing. Feet shuffled around Alessandra and stopped beside her head. "She has poisoned herself. The decay is a toxin with a mind of its own and she has allowed it to take root deep within her heart."

"Please." The male's voice, her brother Björn, pleaded gently with Penelope. His eyes bore into the older woman's with relent.

"It won't be permanent, boy." She relinquished, her voice becoming somber.

"It doesn't need to be. Either way, it would only be temporary yes?" He argued, voice rising with impatience. "We just need to heal her and hide _them_ from sight for the time being."

 _Hide what?_ – Alessandra questioned, desperate to open her eyes, to know what they knew. She tried to move, her fingers only twitching and a searing pain shooting up her arm. – _The decay has spread further..._

"Oh, I suppose you're right." The craggy voice gave in and suddenly Alessandra felt a warmth spread over her as she listened to soft chanting. The ache in her muscles softened. Her pains melted away. The decay, rooted deeply within her, suddenly crawled deeper within her heart as though hiding away from something that threatened it. She felt herself able to breath regularly again as though a weight had been lifted. Her tired limbs grew more tired as she found herself once more falling into a deep slumber.

"That Druid needs to return quickly. Your sister has no time left to waste." Penelope's words were sharp like needles, piercing through Björn.

"What will happen?" His words were quiet, afraid of the answer that might respond. Penelope pulled her hands away from their places on Alessandra and sat them in her lap. She took a deep breath and sighed, reaching a hand out again to brush away the hair from Alessandra's face.

"Something worse than death." Penelope let her thumb run over the sleeping woman's cheek and then looked to the envoy. "Our people were right to fear the Pygmies… Especially those whose hearts go dark."

* * *

~Three Days Later~

She was able to open her eyes now, but not for long. They quickly grew tired from exhaustion, from strain and the light of the sun burned. She peered around the unsteady room. Her eyes were bombarded by hazy sunlight that blurred everything from being distinguishable. Her mind was foggy nothing making sense as she tried to put rational thought into her head.

Her eyes fell closed again with exhaustion. She heard a _click_ and saw something to her right move. Another _click_ and then a blur of navy and silver hovered above her.

A door? – Alessandra found herself questioning the sound, but not the blur of color above her. Every thought was delayed, pieces of the puzzle falling into place far too slowly.

"Aless?" It was the voice from the day before; deep and lilting. She recognized it. She _knew_ that voice. "Aless, can you hear me? How do you feel?"

She wanted to speak, to question him, but she had no voice. She couldn't move. She couldn't open her eyes. She was a prisoner in her own bed.

"If you can hear me, you're still healing." Björn moved away from his sister and grabbed something. She listened as the mysterious figure dragged an item back with them across the stone floor, screeching and groaning in protest. She opened her eyes into slits, barely able to see anything. The blur shortened and leaned in closer to her. It was Björn. She could make out his features, but barely.

"Penelope said it would take time. You were more badly injured then we had first surmised." He explained, his features fading in and out of focus. Alessandra tried hard to focus on him, breathing deeply. Björn settled back into his seat beside her bed, crossing on leg over the other. He looked across the room to the balcony doors that sat open and stared out into the world. "What have you done…?"

His voice sounded far away, another place in time. It was dejected, sighing heavily with tiredness.

"It's a slower process right now because of the decay. Penny says it... it has taken root in your heart." He stared down at her, unable to see any sign that she heard him. Salves covered her face, bandages wrapped snuggling around her burns and cuts. He knew beneath her eye lids, her corneas were filled with burst blood vessels. He leaned closer to her again, unlacing his legs and settling his elbows on his knees. "Why did you do it...?"

She didn't understand what he was asking. What did she do? Was he speaking about Allanon? About the dark? Or about...

"Your heart is going dark, Aless... but you already knew that. You knew what the decay would do to you. You knew and you ignored it anyway. You allowed it a home in your heart." Björn's voice was soft, but it held anger. Anger that his sister would allow such a thing. Anger that he could do nothing to stop it. He shook his head and stared at the floor. "Using your abilities caused it... it opened you up to the decay. Penelope said that you had to have known. You had to of called to it."

Alessandra said nothing. Not because she couldn't, but because he was right. She **had** called to the decay. Not once, but many times. The truth was, the darkness felt good and strong. It allowed her to forget, to go numb, and to not feel _anything_ anymore. She realized and cared too late to stop it, end it, cut off the decaying pieces of her soul and save herself.

"You can be so... reckless… so self-destructive." The room fell quiet with his small sniffle, trying to hold back his own pain. Björn hung his head and when he lifted it again, he ran a hand over his mouth. He moved his gaze to meet hers, seeing that she was dazed from healing and pain and exhaustion, but she was listening as intently as she could manage. She breathed calmly, deeply, as she lay there as though she knew what he wanted her to say, but couldn't bring herself to.

"Allanon…" She breathed out instead, wishing for nothing but to change the subject. Knowing how it ate away at herself was one thing, but to see how her actions had begun to eat away at her family was another thing entirely.

"He hasn't returned yet." Björn scratched his forehead and sat back in his seat once more. His voice was strange as though there was more to say and yet nothing at all. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "But Bandon awoke yesterday."

Fear pierced her heart. Was it truly Bandon or was he being compelled? Had Dagda Mor consumed him, possessed him entirely and found a way into the palace?

"Aless," Björn saw his sister's features twist and knew what she felt, "We believe it is him. _Really_ him. We're taking precautions though until you are better or the Druid returns. Only you both will know for certain."

They had all been worried when suddenly Bandon was roaming the halls of the palace. He was confused, half dressed, and rambling as he stumbled along. Penelope had been the one to calm him and drag him back to the Sanctuary where he was now being watched by armed guards.

Björn saw some of his sister's fear dwindle as she struggled to nod her head in acceptance. She worried for Allanon. She had let him go after the princes who foolishly believed they had the power to defeat Dagda Mor. Her eyes began to sting as her throat closed.

"He will be fine Aless. They all will." Björn leaned closer and placed a hand on her shoulder, careful of any wounds. "Now rest. I'm sure the Druid would not like to return and find you half dead in this bed."

Björn moved his hand to his sister's head, rubbing his thumb back and forth over her hair.

"It seems, at least to Penny, that this Druid cares about you more than suspected." His words seemed to soothe her. He could not help the small laugh that grew from his chest and blew passed his lips. "Honestly, I never believed I would see the day when **you** decided to take a Keeper. A _Druid_ for a Keeper at that. There are many things to still be amazed of I suppose. You and he are one of them."

Alessandra felt her lips curl up into a smirk at her brother. A silent chide to him breezing through her eyes and making him laugh once again.

"Sleep Aless. For now, till Allanon returns, I will watch over you." He breathed out gently, continuing his ministrations to her forehead and hair. Slowly, she felt herself become weak again and fell back into slumber.

* * *

~Seven Days Later~

Alessandra awoke to something moving beside her in her bed. It was small, light, and sneaking up through the covers. She lay on her side, awaiting the appearance of her newest foe, breathing gently so as not to startle it. The being slipped up from the covers and Alessandra pounced with a bellowing roar.

"Amita!" Aria exclaimed and covered herself in protection against what was to come. Alessandra dove her fingers into Aria's sides and tickled ferociously as her niece struggled with shrill giggles. "Amita, stop!"

Alessandra released her niece from her clutches and laughed. Her body felt stronger today than any other day, wounds still healing though. Penelope had come back day after day to heal her with salves and healing stones. Alessandra finally felt as though she could get out of bed without worrying of collapse.

It had been seven days since Allanon had left her in the forest by the sea, but he had returned last night with a single prince in tow. Prince Arion had perished at the hand of Dagda Mor and the fake King Eventine had fallen to the sword of his youngest son, Ander. Ander was now sole ruler of Arborlon.

Allanon had not come to see her. She hadn't expected him to. He had business to attend to and she understood. He would find her if she did not grow too restless without his presence nearer. She had felt his return to the palace, like a bolt of hot electricity that had travelled through her bones to her heart. Somehow they were already connected in a way that she had not suspected. Perhaps it had been her doing. Great stress, healing, a forceful push of her powers into his body had created the start of a tether.

"Have you seen Allanon?" Alessandra questioned as she sat up in bed, propping her back against the headboard. Aria sat up with her and began to comb her fingers through her tousled hair.

"Patruus said he was going to visit Bandon." Aria admitted, sensing the claim had disrupted her aunt. Alessandra could not hide her worries about the young elf. She had not seen to him herself yet, but the prospect of finding him still controlled by Dagda Mor frightened her.

"Come here, rabbit." Alessandra cooed and waved a hand for Aria to come to her. Her niece plopped down between her legs, back to Alessandra's chest. Alessandra reached for the comb that rested on her nightstand and began to detangle her niece's sandy colored hair. She combed and combed until it radiated like sand on a southern beach, glittering with highlights of gold. She set the comb down and proceeded to braid her hair, twisting it up and securing it into a bun that resembled a flower.

"Amita?" Aria asked as she leaned back into her aunt's embrace once more. Alessandra replied with a 'hm?' and wrapped her arms around her niece. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of grass and dirt on her niece. Aria squirmed as though uncomfortable. "Is Bandon all right?"

Alessandra opened her eyes and stared off across the room.

"I am not sure, Aria." Alessandra knitted her eyebrows together, wishing she had a different answer to the question.

"Penelope said his soul was trapped in a bad place for a long time." Aria continued and Alessandra simply listened. "She said that _sometimes_ people don't come back the same after their soul has been gone so long. That it changes them. She said it's like they lose pieces like a puzzle and can't put themselves back together."

"Penelope is right, rabbit." Alessandra breathed out and closed her eyes, laying her chin on her niece's shoulder. She tightened her hold on the small girl as though protecting her from the realities of the world. "Bandon's soul did go to a bad place; a dark place. Like a puzzle, pieces of his soul are missing and may never be found. He may not be the same Bandon we knew anymore or ever."

"Is that why he's in time out in the Sanctuary?" Aria craned her neck back to lean it on Alessandra's free shoulder. Alessandra pressed her lips to her niece's temple.

"Yes, sweetheart." Alessandra breathed out and watched her niece's little hands draw circles over Alessandra's hands. Hands free of decay. It had shocked Alessandra the first day she had seen it; no black tendrils or ink blots. Instead, her hands were free and clear. A temporary masking, Penelope had told her, just until she could take her vows and be rid of the nastiness entirely.

But _entirely_ seemed too good to be true. Alessandra knew better than to believe that lie. She had irrevocably caused damage to herself, her heart and her soul. Like Bandon, there were pieces that had gone missing and could never be recovered. She would always be damaged in some way. There would always be the possibility that the decay would worm its way into her once more, but with Allanon as her Keeper, she may be able to stave it off long enough.

"Are you going to see him?" Aria turned her head and Alessandra picked hers up to stare down at her niece. "Can I go with you?"

"I would like to see him, but no you cannot come. Not until I am sure he is safe to be around." Alessandra admitted and then stared across the room at the wall. Aria sighed grumpily, but said nothing more about it or argued. That told Alessandra that Björn had told her the same thing.

"Will you tell him then that I hope he feels better soon?" Aria laid her head back against her aunt's shoulder again and continued to draw designs on the back of her hands. Alessandra smiled and pressed another kiss to her temple.

"Of course I will."

* * *

~The Sanctuary: Late Afternoon~

Alessandra had taken her niece to a late lunch after spending the morning with her out in the gardens. It was a much needed escape. It was peaceful and full of laughter. They plucked the plants for dead leaves, weeded, and stared up at the clouds. They created stories of the images that appeared in the white puffiness, using great voices and theatrics to tell them.

She had excused herself to the Sanctuary after eating, finding that Penelope had something to say to her. She had warned her granddaughter about Bandon. Warned her that she did not trust the young elf was as all right as everyone would like to believe. Alessandra heeded those warnings and went cautiously, already suspecting the same.

But, even though she cared for the poor innocent Seer, she was more concerned with seeing Allanon. It made her feel awful, but she had a need to see him; ensure he was safe, unharmed, and still was committed to his promise.

He had not visited her upon his return. She understood that. He had brought back two princes; one alive and the other deceased. He had to deal with the Changeling as well, but even after the demon's demise, Allanon had not come to her. Worried about Bandon, the boy he had inadvertently sent into Dagda Mor's clutches, he had forgotten about her.

Again, she understood. She could only imagine the guilt and the anguish that plagued him. The duty he felt towards the boy to train him, to better him so this would not happen again. Still, she found herself bitter in her longing to see him.

She approached the Sanctuary and spotted the guards. There were more than she had ever seen before, but it made sense to guard against Bandon now. The whole kingdom was worried about the young elf, about the Ellcrys, about Dagda Mor who had managed to infiltrate the palace from multiple angles. But guards would not be enough. They needed to be stronger, all of them. They needed to be more observant. They needed to be ready. Dagda Mor **would** try again. It was only a matter of time and they were ill-prepared.

Alessandra nodded her head at the guards as she approached. They pushed open the doors for her and she walked inside. She stopped dead in her tracks and nearly gasped at the pitiful state of the Ellcrys. More leaves had fallen, leaving the branches frighteningly bare. The tree looked ill, innards finally manifesting outwards. A leaf, a single leaf, drifted down from the top of the tree towards her. She cupped her hands and held them out, catching the delicate thing in her palms. It slowly burned away until there was not even a speck of ash left behind.

"Oh no…" Alessandra breathed out, feeling sadness wash over her. Her heart ached for the Ellcrys, for what this meant. She was failing. It had trusted her to keep it strong, but instead she had turned away from it.

"It's fading." Bandon's voice echoed in the Sanctuary as he stood before the Ellcrys. Alessandra wandered around the tree until she spotted him. "So fast."

"Yes." A deep, rumbling voice replied to him as Allanon stepped out from the doorway to the groundskeeper's room. "That is why we need to know what you remember."

Allanon walked behind the young elf, tugging on gloves as though trying to free his hands. He spotted Alessandra and froze for a brief moment. Her lips curled into a smile at the sight of him, unharmed and in one piece. She raised a small hand in a wave, but Allanon turned away and looked to Bandon again.

"You were in the presence of a powerful evil, fighting for your life. That kind of darkness... it can follow you." Allanon turned his head slightly, watching Alessandra approach from his left. She laid a hand on his left upper arm, fingers curling around his bicep. He looked down at her and breathed a sigh of relief. A breath he had not realized he had been holding for so long until looking upon her. He had pushed her injuries and failing health to the back of his mind that day he had ridden off, leaving her in the forest. He had needed to, but that did not mean it had not festered deep within him. To see her finally up and appearing to be all right set him at ease.

"I understand your concern." Bandon's voice was cheerful. He tried to express his wellbeing, show Allanon that he was in fact okay. "I do... but I'm okay."

Allanon lifted his chin and then tugged off his right glove, pulling up his sleeve. There he revealed a nasty wound that would certainly become a scar. It was nothing normal and instead dark, burned into his skin like a black brand of someone's hand.

"Who did that?" Bandon questioned though the tone in his voice wavered as if he already knew. Alessandra's breath hitched as she saw the handprint, knowing precisely where it had come from.

"You." Allanon's voice was flat, tone steady. Alessandra shook her head slowly and reached out for his exposed arm. She tugged it to her and held it firmly in her left as her fingers on her right hand ran over the marking. It was the same arm that Bandon had grasped during his compulsion. However, the fingers of the mark did not belong to Bandon. They belonged to Dagda Mor; curling, mangled forms.

"Your gift is powerful, Bandon." Allanon looked down at Alessandra as she examined his arm. Her fingers moved so delicately, the sensation tickling his skin and sending the hairs on the back of his neck skywards with goosebumps. He wanted to relish her touch, get lost in her caress and allow her warmth to spread over him, through him. But there were other matters at hand. There were _always_ other matters… He looked back to Bandon feeling his chest compress. "But now Dagda Mor knows. He will stop at nothing to own your soul."

Alessandra drug her gaze upwards to Bandon. She saw the young elf's eyes glued to the scar on Allanon's forearm that she caressed. She could see he was worried, afraid, and that he felt alone. She knew the gaze well as her own had once mirrored it.

"I was nearly your age when my mentor, Bremen, discovered me. Alone and afraid... abandoned by my parents." Allanon tugged his arm gently free from Alessandra's touch, allowing his free hand to gently touch her shoulder in a small signal that he acknowledged her presence. His eyes lingered on her as he strode calmly to stand before Bandon. Alessandra closed her eyes, sighing painfully of woe and heartache as Allanon told his troubled tale. She laced her hands before her and looked up at the Ellcrys, feeling the trees silence consume her. It was condemning.

"The Druid trained me in the ways of the Order." Allanon continued and Alessandra let her gaze fall, feeling almost ashamed that she had not done more for the Ellcrys. Trusted her more. Given her more. Alessandra watched Allanon as he took a step closer to Bandon, placing a hand on the young elf's shoulder. "He gave me purpose and control. Now it is my turn to do the same. I believe you to be the next Druid, Bandon."

A long silence followed Allanon's words, which sat heavily in the air. Alessandra could not believe her ears and neither could Bandon.

 _The next Druid? -_ She thought to herself, leery of the proposition and found herself narrowing her eyes. Bandon stumbled over his words for a long moment, seeming to pass between worry and cheer.

"... a Druid? Me?" He spoke finally, watching to see if this was some kind of test that Allanon had concocted. "And what if I don't want that?"

Bandon's face fell as realization of what being a Druid truly meant sunk in. Allanon sighed and straightened himself, clasping his hands together before him.

"The choice is no longer yours to make, I'm afraid." Allanon announced, surprising Alessandra. She found herself shaking her head in argument of the proclamation.

"Allanon," she breathed out, stunned by his decree and slightly appalled by it. Her features twisted as her mind raced to keep up, "you cannot do that. If he chooses not to, you cannot force him to–"

"Without training," Allanon looked back at her, frustrated with her constant questioning of his decisions. Just once he wished she would not argue, understand and trust him, "Bandon won't stand a chance of surviving the darkness that is about to descend upon us all."

"If you take his choice away from him then he has already succumbed!" Alessandra shouted suddenly, eyes darting from Allanon to Bandon and then back again. It was not forcing Bandon to become a Druid that bothered her. Somehow she knew deep down her own mind and heart had travelled back to their agreement, to Allanon becoming her Keeper, to her having no choice in who she chose or in becoming a Guardian herself. She shook her head, eyes closing tightly as her mind raced further ahead of herself. "Give him the choice. Having **no** choice at all is worse than choosing wrong, Allanon."

Allanon sensed something deeper rooted within her. She had never had a choice. She had been doomed since her birth to be a Guardian, doomed to flee from her own people for their hatred of her, doomed to be their protector when all others failed. She never had a choice with what she was, who she was to become, or who she would face the troubles of the world with. It had been his choice to become her Keeper. She hadn't chosen him. The Ellcrys had. Fate had. She was a prisoner in her own life. He saw the dismay, the desperation to break free.

"There is always worse." Allanon's voice was calm as he approached her, looming over her. His eyes pleaded with her to understand, to accede. He needed to try with Bandon; to fix him, train him, protect him. He needed to remedy his failings. " **Death** is worse than having no choice, Alessandra. Death is permanent. Choices can always be made and changed later on."

Alessandra said nothing and sighed heavily. She didn't want to agree. She wanted to fight. The decay that lurked deep within her soul wanted to fight. She nodded her head once, understanding, but not liking this outcome. She looked away from him stared off at the ground as she bit her tongue to keep silent.

"We start in the morning." Allanon announced, eyes never leaving Alessandra. Bandon scoffed and stalked away, back into the groundskeeper's room. Alessandra avoided Allanon's gaze, feeling his eyes bore into her as though trying to view her innards. Finally he spoke, "May we speak?"

"Do I have a choice?" Alessandra snapped lowly, eyes rising narrowly to meet his stare. She scolded herself, having no control or filter over her words. "I'm sorry."

Allanon inhaled sharply and held his breath, releasing it slowly through his nostrils. They had come so far. They did not need to argue over trivial matters. They did not need to go backwards when they had finally found a rhythm to which they could both march forward. They were so close now.

"Of course. You always have a choice with me." His tone was gentle, soft. His brown eyes grew warm and kind as he watched her closely. She looked away from him, feeling her frustration dissipate and shame overwhelm her.

"May I find you after the eulogy?" She offered, not wanting to be in the Sanctuary any longer. It was depressing, suffocating, and the Ellcrys was silent. The overwhelming silence sent sparks through her.

"If that pleases you." Allanon gave her a single nod in approval, noticing how she lingered even after his agreement. She crossed her arms over her chest, fingers and hands on display. He had not noticed that the decay had receded earlier, but it was clear to see now. However, he could still feel its lingering presence deep within her energy.

"Are you feeling all right?" He questioned gently and made to reach out to her. She did not pull away, but it was clear to see that she was uncomfortable by his touch.

"Yes. I feel fine. Penelope did a good job healing me." She confirmed, looking at her fingers and flicking her nails. She licked her lips and looked up at the Ellcrys with apprehension. "She is too quiet. I don't feel anything from her."

"She is conserving her strength for the battle ahead. As should you." Allanon looked up at the great tree, feeling no trace of its presence in his being. It was strange and unsettling. He looked down and to Alessandra again, noticing that her wounds were healing agreeably. Slow, but agreeable. "Is there something you wanted to say to me?"

"There are a great many things I wish to say to you, Allanon." Alessandra did not meet his stare. Of course, there were things she wanted to say. Many things in fact. Right now, though, she just wanted to feel him close to her. She wanted to feel his stare on her, his presence beside her, his hands on her caressing her and promising her safety. Instead, of saying everything she wanted to, _needed_ to, she looked at his arm again.

"I knew something had happened." She breathed out, shaking her head of golden waves that were only pinned back at the front to keep strands out of her face. She reached out her hand and took his arm again, examining his wound. "I could feel it when I was healing you."

Her fingers caressed the mark on his skin. Her chest tingled, nerves on edge, as she dragged her fingers down to his hand. It was ungloved still, showing her its size and strength and years of hard work. Muscles were taut beneath his skin, dark hairs speckling over the back of his hand and knuckles. She brought it up to her face and laid it against her cheek, feeling its warmth and girth.

Something within Allanon leapt at the touch of her flesh. Her smooth cheek, cleaned and free of harm, clashed against the ruggedness of his hands. Unworthy. That was what immediately came to his mind as he watched the way she snuggled herself into his palm. He spotted something glittering in her eyes and watched as tears formed. She shut her eyes tightly, sucking on her bottom lip to keep from crying before him.

"Come 'ere." Allanon pulled her to him, sensing an overwhelming sadness take hold of her. She pressed herself into his chest as everything washed over her at once. She held onto his robes tightly, body raking from cries. He held her tightly, placed his chin carefully on her head to avoid the wound settled there, and closed his eyes. His body shook with hers as she cried, sobbing softly into his chest. He wished he had the words to soothe her, comfort her, but he was not that man. He was not soft. He was not tender. He could be her rock though. He could hold her safely in his arms and protect her against the world. He would guard her when she was vulnerable. Be strong when she was weak.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled through her tears as she pulled back. He kept her at arm's length, hands on her upper arms as she wiped tears from her face. She smiled gently, a small laugh escaping her lips. "If we're not being interrupted, I'm either crying or unconscious."

"It's all right. Tears can are the healing of the soul when it is beaten down and weary." Allanon breathed out gently, hands squeezing her arms reassuringly. He lifted a hand up and ran a thumb under her left eye, seeing broken blood vessels and tired lines. "You are exhausted."

"I've been in bed for the last week." She quipped, wiping a few more stray tears away. She sniffled and blew out her breath in a calming sigh.

"This is a different kind of exhaustion." Allanon sensed something coursing through her veins then. It was slow, trudging through like ice in a pipe. He realized then that the clearing of her hands and fingers was not true. "The decay has taken root."

Alessandra nodded her head and lifted her hands between them to show him. They looked pristine, untouched by darkness. But there was an ugly truth beneath her skin.

"Penelope masked it for now." She explained, turning her hands back and forth to show him both sides. "It's still there though."

"We need to finish your rites." Allanon's voice was low, but not unkind. Merely thoughtful as he took her hands in his own. "It's the only way. We must do it while there is still time left."

Alessandra looked up at him as he observed her hands. His thumbs, gloved and not, ran over the back of her skin soothingly. She watched his eyes, scanning over her skin for any sign of the decay or wound. He was thorough and meticulous.

"You still have a choice too, Allanon." She did not know why she said it aloud, but it was there in the open now. He raised his gaze to meet hers, determination set there. He held her hands firmly as something in his heart surged. A feeling of duty, of responsibility. Both were aimed towards her.

"I swore to you that I would take the Vows and become your Keeper." He declared, voice heavy and fixed. She stared back at him, unsure of his proclamation still. Heavens above! – what would he have to do to prove to her he was willing?

"But is that... something you _want_?" She questioned, unknowing where the question had come from or where it would take their conversation. She had thought about it before, mulled it over in her mind, but she had never any intention of asking it before now. "...or is it something you think you **must** to do? Am I another duty to uphold, Allanon?"

He didn't know what to say. The question hung over him like a cloud ready to pour down upon him. _Was_ this something he wanted? His human half screamed at him that it was, that he _needed_ it; he needed her. It was a human, earthly desire to be close to someone, be close to this woman, to feel her loving caress and the overwhelming sensation of joy. The Druid was at odds. She was now a duty, a responsibility of his, it was true. But was that all she was to him? Had their kiss meant anything more than dire, fearful passion in a fleeting moment of resolve? Had he not grown to care for this strange Elemental? Did he not care more for this strong, passionate, caring woman than his love Pyria?

"I want you to become my Keeper because you _want_ to. Not because you feel like this is your duty or because it seems righteous." Alessandra saw his struggle to answer, felt his insecurity. She felt her own as well. She had much to say, but the words were not there yet. "I **need** you to _want_ to be my Keeper, Allanon…"

 _I want you to want me... -_ she thought as she let her hands fall from his grasp. She took a step back from him and laced her hands before her waist. She needed to put space between them again. She needed to think and so did he.

"Please, think about it and remember that, no matter what the situation or what anyone says, it is **your** choice. It always has been." She turned to head out of the Sanctuary. Allanon felt his two halves battling once more, in constant debate over what he should do; what was proper; what was necessary. He wished they would disappear, allow him the chance to make his own decision. It had been so easy in her cocoon of vines when he was dying. It was his only moment of clarity and now he was back to struggling for dominance. Wool was now pulled over his eyes once more, blurring his vision of what he wanted.

"I will find you later." He called after her once he realized she had begun to walk away. He silently wished she would return to his arms where they could both find solace. His chest rose and fell quicker than before, earnest need to have her close befalling him. She turned back around at the doors of the Sanctuary and smiled brightly at him.

"If you can stay awake that long, old man. I hear that after three hundred years of living, humans will do anything to slip away." She let her smile linger, her jest hover in the air, as she headed out the door and down the path through the woods. Allanon stood dumbfounded for only a moment. He remembered his mumblings in the cave at the shore, his desire that after walking this earth for three hundred years for it all to end.

"Who is she calling old...?" He grumbled with a smirk on his lips as he headed back towards the door of the groundskeeper's room.

* * *

~Near Midnight: Alessandra's Room~

Alessandra had not gone to the eulogy. It didn't feel right. Her presence would not have been welcomed. Instead, she hid in her room and stood out on the balcony beneath the stars. She hummed to herself as she leaned against the stone railing. The breeze was cool, but held warmth in it and the sweet smell of flowers.

She heard a small click, the door opening, but did not turn to look who had entered. The intruder closed the door behind them and stepped fluidly through the room. They stopped at the small round table, setting something down before moving to the balcony doors. Alessandra smiled softly to herself, but kept her back to him.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned, though, unsurprised by his presence. She knew after their words earlier that if she had not found him, he would find her.

"The eulogy has ended." His voice was low, calculated. Alessandra turned and looked passed Allanon to the small table in the middle of her room. There sat a tray of hot food and drink. "Penelope said you haven't eaten since this afternoon and sent this with me. She is very good at reading people."

Alessandra could not help the hearty laugh that escaped her lips from deep within her chest. She placed a hand on her belly as her body rumbled, eyes closed.

"She most certainly did read your mind without your knowing, Druid." Alessandra laughed again and then opened her eyes, seeing a small smile on Allanon's lips. "I appreciate it nonetheless."

She moved back into her room, brushing against him gently as she passed and picked up a chunk of melon from the bowl on the tray. It was not yet ripe, but it did satiate the feeling of hunger in her belly. She picked up one triangle of toast and nibbled on it, looking over her shoulder at Allanon. He stood at the balcony doors, leaning his right shoulder against the frame as he stared out into the darkness.

"Can you not sleep?" Alessandra questioned seeing his shoulders rigid with tension. She took a sip from the water goblet and continued to watch him, turned her back on the tray of food.

"I have slept enough for one lifetime." He replied assuredly though his voice held a deeper emotion. Alessandra tilted her head slightly to the left and leaned back against the table, hands resting on its edges.

"It doesn't work that way, Allanon." Alessandra spoke concernedly and moved herself from the table. In long strides of swishing cotton fabric from her dress, she stopped beside him and placed hand on his forearm. "You are still human."

"Am I? ...sometimes I don't feel as much." He stared straight ahead a moment before meeting her worried look. The hand on his forearm tightened as her face twisted in contemplation.

"Are you afraid of what you dreamt while in the Druid Sleep?" She questioned and tilted her head slightly to one side again. "Are you afraid of what you may dream now?"

"In the Druid Sleep there was nothing." He explained as though it were simple. As though everyone experienced it. Alessandra knitted her eyebrows together as she tried to understand his meaning.

"Nothing?" She questioned and narrowed her eyes, hand slipping from his arm. An image crossed her mind; Allanon wandering in pitch darkness. "You mean as in darkness?"

"Yes." Allanon wanted to leave the conversation behind, but Alessandra was not finished with him yet.

"Darkness frightens you?"

"Does it not you?" He was quick to retort and looked down at her. She seemed to mull over his question and then shook her head of tightly braided hair.

"No. Darkness down not exactly signify a void." She thought aloud and looked back out into the night. She smiled at the stars above. Their soft twinkling lights hazy against the expanse of dark sky. "So, therefore there may always be something in it."

"It has not been my experience that good lurks in the darkest reaches of this world." Allanon countered and turned to stare up at the sky with her. She held her tongue, not wanting to argue with him. "Do you dream?"

The question was strange. His voice, soft and warm, demanded a truthful, meaningful answer from her.

"I do." Her tender smile returned and lit up her eyes as she turned to her right to look up at him. He met her stare, no smile on his lips. He regarded her, eyes scanning over her face as though seeing her for the first time.

"Are they good dreams?" He prodded further and watched as Alessandra stepped out into the night. She moved towards the railing and leaned forward against it, looking down below.

"The best." She replied as her eyes followed an owl that soared low, snatching an unsuspecting mouse from the grass.

"Tell me," Allanon's voice was growing softer as though he wanted a story recited to him. He wanted to go to her, wrap her in his arms and smell the sweet scent of rose oil in her hair. Instead, he stood where he was, watching her movements and trailing his gaze from her bare feet to the curves of her bodice beneath the form fitting cotton dress to the braid of long hair, "what does a Pygmy dream of? Your home in the northern forests?"

She could not help but laugh as she turned herself around, leaning back against the railing. She reclined back on her elbows, laying her legs out long and extending her chest forward to stretch the muscles of her shoulders. She regarded him a moment and then looked down, eyes grazing over the dress she wore; green and tan with stitchings of copper designs. Allanon could see her expression change; meaningful, thoughtful.

"I **think** of home... I miss it often even," she started, voice gentle as she gathered her thoughts, "but that is not what I _dream_ of when I close my eyes."

A serene smile stretched across her delicate lips. A new image floated through her mind and comforted her. Allanon saw how she relaxed and how peaceful she became at the thought of her dreams. He found himself desiring to experience the same feelings... and desiring her.

"What do you dream then?" He was growing more curious, more entranced by the way she spoke and how the memories of her dreams obviously made her feel. He wanted the same; calm, peace, tranquility. Alessandra took a deep breath and sighed heavily with relief as her tensed muscles softened. She tilted her head backwards, throat exposed as the moonlight bathed over her.

His eyes wandered her again. He found a tightening in his chest at the sight of her bathing the soft glow of the moon's light. It washed over the tops of her exposed breasts from the plunging sweetheart neckline of her dress and crept upwards over her throat. He longed to reach out and grasp her, fingers curling around the tender flesh of her neck as he towered over her, breathing in her sweet scent. He longed further to tear the dress from her bodice and watch the moon bathe over her naked flesh as though in some kind of sacred ritual.

Allanon closed his eyes and turned his head away. He could feel his pants become tighter, compressing his male urgency against his leg.

"I dream of blue green waters that seem to glow as if under a spell from a god." Alessandra stared up at the night sky, eyes trailing over the stars and make-believing she could see the dream clearly there. "The sounds of crashing waves against a white sandy shore; birds calling from high above in the clear blue sky. The sun, high and vibrant, caressing my skin with its warmth."

Allanon heard the huskiness of her voice and opened his eyes. She had placed a hand on her exposed chest, fingers trailing rhythmically over her collar bones. She sighed heavily, happily, as though she felt these things here in this moment now. When she opened her eyes, Allanon saw joy swimming in the deepest blues that were focused on him.

"I dream of the sea, Allanon." Her voice reflected the image she painted with her words and he found himself longing for this dream to be reality. He longed to be there with her on that white sandy shoreline, listening to the ocean waves and watching as the golden rays of sunlight bathed her earthly flesh. She saw the look in his eyes, recognized it for what it Was; desire.

Something had happened to them both. Ever since their first meeting, something had been growing between them without their knowledge. Now that they had become locked in a tangle of duties and wants, something more mystical had started to overcome them; desires... of the mind, of the heart, and of the flesh.

 _A spell, an enchantment… that is what this must be._ – She tried to explain to herself. She had been with men before; elves, elementals, humans. However, she had never _desired_ them the way she desired Allanon in that moment. They must be under some magic; both of them. Or was it as the elders had told her?

 _A Guardian will know their Keeper._

 _Perhaps not at first, but then one day it will hit them._

 _A resounding, overwhelming feeling of knowing._

 _They will know and there is nothing to be done besides to accept it._

 _Accept it and rejoice in it._

"I have seen the sea, but not one such as you described in all my travels." Allanon admitted, slightly consumed with a fraction of guilt that he may have just burst her dream into a puddle at her feet. The smile and twinkle in her eyes told him otherwise.

"I have." She countered as pushed herself away from the balcony. She sauntered her way towards him as she removed the hold on her braid and stood before him with mischief in her eyes. "Once."

She moved passed him back into her room as she let her fingers loosen her hair, allowing the waves of gold to cascade freely down her back. She moved to the bed and, quite ungracefully, fell back against it. Her hair splayed messily in waves of gold about the blanket as she clasped her hands over her belly.

"I was a small child then. No older than Aria." She continued and stared up at the ceiling.

"Where is this sea of yours?" Allanon watched her from where he stood at the doorway, hands clasped before himself. He hid his desire from her, trying to reel in his over emotional human state. However, a small voice in his head told him not to restrain. Instead, it offered him encouragement to follow his desire and ignore logic.

"I no longer remember the way." Alessandra's voice sounded slightly broken as though this pained her most of all. Allanon focused on her again and tentatively strode towards the bed. With the encouragement of the voice in his mind, he sat down beside her and placed a gloved hand over hers on her belly. She craned her neck to the right to peer back up at him with a sad smile on her lips.

"I revisit it often while I sleep. The memory is always there for me to come back to." She spoke again, earning his gaze. Something sounded strange in her voice as though she were weaving a plan in the space between them. "Would you like to see, Allanon?"

Her question confused as well as startled him. His hand on hers went slack as his heart raced. What did she mean by this? Certainly not what he suspected.

"I can't hold it for long. Not as long as Aria or Penelope can. After all, they are Sylphs. I can handle a few sparing moments though. Just so you can see it." She admitted and motioned to the room they sat in. Her words struck recognition within him as well as hesitation. She could manifest the dream here and now in the room for him to experience. But she was a Pygmy. What kind of magic was this? What were her true powers?

She saw his apprehension and could not help her lips curling upwards warmly. She saw distant longing in his warm brown eyes, but he tried to hide it behind suspicion. He wanted it, the broken human part of him wanted it, but the Druid in him warned against it; against her and everything she was; everything she might become.

"Trust me." Her words were a whisper on the wind, carried gently to his ear as she sat herself up. She moved slowly, gracefully as though not to frighten him away. She extended her left leg out and crossed it over where his legs and then pushed herself the rest of the way to sit on his lap. Her knees bent and rested against the covers of her bed as she lifted her delicate fingers to touch his shoulders.

"Alessandra..." Allanon felt the internal war waging within him. The man cried out for the relief and comfort she offered freely to him without expecting anything in return. He wanted to pull her in closer, become one with her in a tangle of bodies and sheets, but the Druid demanded he keep away from her, from what this may do to him in the end. He lifted his hands and held her at her waist, forcing her back slightly, but not too far. He closed his eyes and tried to will his desires away, push them down and regain control. The feel of her weight on his lap, her hands on his shoulders, his hands on her waist… he was losing control. He was losing his resolve.

 _If you only knew what you do to me._ – He thought to himself as he grit his teeth and clenched his jaw. He tightened his hold on her waist, hands firmly holding her hips in place on his lap. She moved her knees closer to his sides and slid her hands up his neck to cup his cheeks, thumbs on his cheekbones.

"Trust me." Her voice was breathy as though she was already beginning to channel energy to manifest her dream. Allanon quieted the stern voice of his Druid side and allowed the warmth of this enchanting young woman wash over him. He opened his eyes and found she stared back. Hey eyes were hauntingly beautiful and full of life; life he raved to experience, craved to latch onto and refuse to let go. He looked at her delicate form on him, the night sky from the open balcony doors casting an ethereal background to this otherworldly being. He felt himself loosen his hold on her hips.

"Trust me." Alessandra smiled tenderly at him and pushed her hands back against his face till her thumbs sat before his ears, fingers holding the back of his neck. She soothed his worried look as her fingers stroked the back of his neck. Allanon could feel a surge of energy run through their connected bodies as it wound up his him. It tingled and warmed like some kind of tonic meant to soothe; meant for sleep.

"Close your eyes." Alessandra breathed out, voice seeming far away from him. He did as she commanded and closed his tired eyes, feeling his heart rate slow. He felt the gentle touch of Alessandra's forehead press against his own, her hair acting as golden, sweet smelling curtains to hide their faces. He listened to her breath, felt it brush against his face gently.

He heard her voice in the darkness, whispering sweet things to him in a tongue he didn't recognize. Her voice soft, melodic, calming. He found himself falling. Ever deeper into the enchantment this haunting beauty had woven. Deeper into nothingness, into darkness. Falling slowly, peacefully without a single thought or worry or care of what might be at the bottom.

* * *

~Dream Manifestation~

 _He could hear the sound of rustling. Something moved around him, the calls of birds squawking as though frenzied. Their wings shifting and flapping urgently in short bursts._

 _He could make out the resonance of gentle waves crashing against a shore. Coming in, crashing and being dragged back out to sea. In and out… in and out… Rhythmic. Calming._

 _He smelled salt in the air and the felt a warmth spread over his face. It was bright, blinding, but it left him feeling alive._

 _"Allanon?" Alessandra's lilted voice called enticingly to him as though far away. It was carried on the ocean breeze, mingling with the gentle sounds of the waves. Her voice came again, this time with a laugh hidden within it. "Open your eyes, Allanon."_

 _He did as instructed and was faced with a soft blue sky. Velvety clouds in small wisps moved overhead. The sun, vibrant and high in the sky, gleamed down upon him in golden rays of pure light. He sat up slowly and examined the white sandy shore he lay on. His hands delved deep into the granules, feeling the texture as it slipped through his fingers and merged once more with the larger landscape._

" _Allanon!" At the call of her voice, Allanon raised his gaze to stare out at the glowing blue-green sea. At the water's edge was a sight he had never expected, never imagined to see. Alessandra stood with her bare feet in the surf, right hand pushing her freed golden tendrils behind her ear in an attempt to tame them against the ocean breeze. She wore a simple pale yellow cotton dress with slits on the sides that came up to her knees, exposing the smooth muscular flesh of her calves. The dress had a sweetheart neckline that drove out at the sides into loosely laced sleeves that exposed her supple skin from shoulder to wrist._

 _She was the epitome of womanhood._

 _She was a vision._

 _She was pure._

 _She was enticing._

 _She was his._

 _"Come on, Druid!" She called again, a laugh in her throat, as she waved him to her with a slow hand motion. Her smile was enough to lure him away from his place on the beach. His movements through the sand were unhurried as though he knew he had all the time in the world. He came ever closer to the water's edge and felt something lap at his feet. He looked down and saw he no longer wore his heavy leather boots, but instead was barefoot in the surf. His feet sunk into the wet sand as the surf came in and was pulled out again. He looked to his legs, seeing he no longer wore his tanned pants and instead now had light cotton trousers. His heavy robes were replaced with a white cotton shirt, unlaced at the top to expose a small triangle of his chest._

 _As he looked himself over, bewildered as to how he had changed and when, Alessandra walked up to him. The bottom of her dress wet and heavy with salt water, lapping against her legs as she moved. She tucked her hair behind her ears and laughed, a small melodic thing, as she took his right hand in her left._

" _Forget about your clothes, Druid." She instructed him, earning his gaze of warm earthy brown eyes. "Enjoy the moment."_

 _She gave his hand a tug, motioning towards the warm ocean water and the long sandy shore, and began to walk along the surf. As her hand fell away from his, he found himself longing for its security once more. Allanon followed with little resistance behind her, his heart and mind at peace here in this makeshift dream world she had created for them._

 _"So this was your perfect dream." His words were low, but thoughtful as he looked all around. It was perfect. Down to the last granule of sand and the smallest wisp of cloud._

 _"It wasn't ever perfect before." She spoke tenderly and turned back to look at him, ceasing her steps in the wet sand. "But it is now."_

 _The way she stared at him, her eyes so blue and so full of life and… no, but it couldn't be. He swore he saw a deeper emotion; a powerful emotion. This was insanity, by all definitions, and yet… it felt right and it felt good._

" _You..." He breathed out, eyes narrowing as though seeing her through a new light, as though all the pieces of the puzzle had just fallen into place suddenly. He was where he was_ _ **meant**_ _to be._ _ **Here**_ _, on_ _ **this**_ _beach, with_ _ **her**_ _. It was always supposed to be her._

" _What about me?" She questioned and took a careful, graceful step towards him with a knowing stare. Her hair blew in front of her face, masking half of it. Only the left side, one eye and half her lips appeared. She had never looked more perfect, more otherworldly than now; here. Allanon could not help what came over him. It was instinctual; natural. He closed the gap so suddenly that her face showed her surprise. Before she could speak, he pushed his hands into her hair to free her face and pulled her to him; lips meeting in a haphazard, immaculate kiss._

 _He wanted more of her. He_ _ **needed**_ _more of her._

 _Alessandra broke the kiss, breathing heavy and labored but a delicate smile on her lips. She placed her hands on his chest and gave a small laugh. He understood instantly what he had been ready to do and took a step back._

" _Alessandra," he began, unsure of what he wanted to say to her, "I–"_

" _Don't." She was quick to cut him off and shook her head, smile lingering. "I feel it too. A pull… like no matter what we do, we cannot escape one another. We are always drawn back."_

 _Allanon said nothing for there was nothing to say. They both felt it, this tug on them that pushed them together constantly. Had he not known better, he would believe it was the Ellcrys' doing. However, this was something different. This was powerful beyond words; ancient._

" _I want to be the one to protect you. I want to be your Keeper. I want_ _ **you**_ _and all you entail. No matter what it might be that I do not yet fully understand comes with the responsibility or the honor." The words left his lips before he had even thought them. It was as though his heart knew what to say and would be damned if his mind overthought them. He watched Alessandra for a moment to gauge her reaction. Her face was still, eyes locked upon his visage as the gears of her mind worked to catch up._

" _So you shall, Druid." Her voice was soft, breathy as if this was all she could think up to respond with to his declaration. He wanted to reach out to her, pull her to him and hide her away from the rest of the world. She beat him to it and strode forward with a smile on her lips. "You will be_ _ **my**_ _Keeper… and I will be yours in whatever meaning of the phrase you desire."_

" _I desire you in every way." His voice was husky, heart pounding in his chest at the promise they had made to one another. He had never suspected this. Not ever in his three hundred years walking this earth. Never had he felt this way towards anything, anyone. Not even Pyria, whom he had believed his first and only love. But here stood another; strong, beautiful, understanding, and willing. It was as though she had been created for him and only him; a being of pure light to lift the darkness of his tattered soul._

" _You found me in a dark place and brought me back into the light of the sun." He breathed out and took a single step forward, wrapping his arms around her middle. He pressed her tightly to him, staring down into her smiling eyes._

" _And you will keep us both there; in the sunshine." Alessandra laughed and grabbed hold of his hands, tugging him along behind her. "Now come, Allanon! Enjoy this dream with me before it must end."_

 _Allanon allowed her to lead him, following behind her closely with a smile on his lips. He would follow her through whatever came for them. Whether the light, the dark, in happy times and sad, he would follow her to the ends of the earth and into the next plane should she so desire it._


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Life has been, well, life. Between getting my Masters degree, working full time, and now with a separate part time job, time is limited and precious. I am trying my hardest to finish this story soon. Like I said before, I never expected it to go over 20 chapters. So we are nearing the end. Thank you to my loyal followers. Special shout out to swingrlm for always being there to give me a needed nudge!

* * *

~{The Stars Incline Us}~

The sun was warm against his face as he closed his eyes and raised his chin upwards. He recounted his night, a night he knew he would never forget nor the peace that he felt lingering within him. He remembered the smells, the sights, the sounds of the dream Alessandra had shared with him. Her smile. Her laugh. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear as she gazed down through the water to her feet. She, herself, had been a dream. She was his flower; his stargazer. The flower had been her all along; calling to him, waiting for him to awaken, reaching out to him without realizing it.

He doubted she realized it even now. She believed the Ellcrys was the catalyst of their meeting. That the Ellcrys had woven this web purposefully on brining them together despite their own wishes, desires, or dreams. He would dream of nothing else now though. Not now, not ever, not knowing that she was meant to be his.

Allanon turned to listen to the soft calls of song birds as they fluttered from one tree to the next. The breeze through branches of trees rustled and leaves floated down from their canopy. Voices of people down below on the grand outer deck of the palace mingled with the sounds of the world, eager of the newly stationed King Ander. The sweetest sound of all, by far, was the melodic humming coming from the bedroom behind him.

Alessandra stood before the floor-length mirror, braiding her hair meticulously as she hummed her song gently. She had begun a French braid down the middle of her head, fingers tirelessly working to keep the strands neat, with the rest of her hair falling down her back in waves of gold. Her eyes looked into the reflection of the mirror and found Allanon's visage at the back of the room where he stood at the balcony doors. He leaned his right side against the doorframe with his arm raised above his shoulder, fingers gently brushing over his lips. He peered out into the light of day with no tension in his shoulders, no waves of fret or impending doom rolling off of him. The sight of his peace and calmness brought a smile to her lips.

Allanon felt her eyes on him, heard her humming cease, and looked over his shoulder at her. He saw the smile that graced her lips through the reflection of the mirror and returned it with warmth. She would no longer hide such things from him. Something in their shared connection through the dream had opened a new door for them both; a door to which was locked and wide open.

Her eyes darted away to return to the task she had on hand, fingers nimbly finishing the braid at the back of her crown and tying it with a string. He turned his body around, leaning his left shoulder on the frame of the door as he crossed his arms loosely over his chest.

He thought back to last night. Her weight on his lap. Her hands against his neck. The dream and the beach and Alessandra's visage as she called to him like a nymph from the sea. She had looked so beautiful and so at home there among the sun and the water. She had made him feel as though he belonged there too. They had spoken truthfully there in that dream world she had created for them. It was her safe place and she had decided he was worthy enough to share with. She had trusted him with her secret place, allowed him to bask in it with her.

When he had awoken, he found it was early in the morning where the sun was not yet ready to rise. He also found himself still in Alessandra's room and in her bed. He had stared up at the ceiling until he felt movement at his side and turned to find Alessandra herself. She had fallen asleep on her side, leg draped over his torso and arm draped over his chest. Her forehead pressed gently against his shoulder, breathing soft and warm. Her long hair was splayed out over the comforter like rays of sunshine through ocean waves. He longed to stay there, wrapped tightly in her embrace, till his time came. But, alas, he moved himself from her hold and picked her up, moving the covers back and placing her beneath them.

He returned once the sun had risen to find she was already up and about. She had bathed, changed, and looked refreshed, greeting him with a bright smile that made his heart flutter. She made him feel young again. She made him feel as though he had a new chance; chance at life, at happiness, at love. The weight on his shoulders felt lighter, the weight in his heart lessened.

But he knew, deep within his muddled soul, that he did not deserve it. He deserved none of it and yet it was being thrown at him as though he were some kind of saint. He was a sinner though, despite his best efforts. Despite everything, his will and his trying were no feat for the darkness.

"Do not dwell, Allanon." Her words were confident and meant to comfort him as she moved away from the mirror. She stood before him and looked down at his crossed arms. She extended a hand, tugging free one of his own to hold. "I hoped you would not blame yourself for Bandon nor for Arion. You did what you could. That is all anyone could ask of you."

"I could have done more. I should have." He met her stare and steeled himself instantly. He wanted to use her excuse, tell himself that he had done all he could, but he hadn't. He had been distracted and weak. He had been worried about _her_. Leaving her there in the forest, confused and dazed, he had worried and feared the worst. When he found the princelings, his mind was struggling to keep focus on two separate areas; her and them. The same had been true with Bandon. He had heard her call to him, had feared what Dagda Mor would do, and had forsaken Bandon in that Hell because he had come at her call.

People had died because of his mistakes, because of his unruly mind, because she was a distraction to him that he welcomed.

"Stop it." Her eyes expressed her seriousness, her words soft and kind. Allanon met her gaze again, but he did not soften. He was angry with her, with himself, with the world. Alessandra felt his discourse and could not stop the sting in her heart. "Their fates were always out of our hands... _our_ hands. I should have protected them too, Allanon. But, fate is a fickle mistress and she had plans of her own. Now, right now, we have other things to worry about. Other people who still need us."

He said nothing for a long moment. He searched her eyes, felt her worry and her determination. He would let it go now for her sake, but he would not forget. He could not. He was the last Druid and he still had responsibilities… responsibilities that now included her.

"I need to train Bandon." Allanon spoke up, changing the subject. She nodded her head as though considering and loosened her hold on his hands. Her heart fell slightly, wanting to hear something different from his lips; hoping for something more.

 _Why won't you just talk to me…? –_ she questioned, knowing he would not answer. She closed her mind that way to him only to give him some kind of free will. Poking around his mind was the last thing she wanted to do because she would expect the same from him.

"… I do not feel the Ellcrys anymore, Allanon." Alessandra's words left her lips so softly she doubted he heard her over the calls of the song birds. She looked away, out the balcony doors towards the Ellcrys. The great sapient tree was quiet even now. It had lost most of its beautiful, crimson leaves and stood barren in the distance. It left Alessandra with a heart wrenching feeling of forlorn for she had failed it. She was a Pygmy, the last Guardian, and she had shirked her responsibility to the one being who had needed her most. Alessandra shook her head, closed her eyes and scolded herself. "She has banished me from the connection we once shared... because I did not listen... because I did not care. She has lost hope in me."

"There is still time." He saw the look of worry etch into her soft features and had the urge to pull her to him, wrap her safely in his arms as he had on the beach. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder, gloved fingers firmly holing on. "She has not faded yet. Live up to her expectations and she will take you back as her Guardian."

"I am no Guardian without a Keeper." Alessandra gave him a small, odd smile. One that showed her mock, her melancholy, her desire. She waited for him to speak, but silence hung heavily in the air. Her mind raced. Her heart hammered in her chest. She scanned his eyes, but his stare held no answers to her worries. "Have you… changed your mind?"

"No." His answer was quick and clear, chasing away any thoughts she might have had of his resistance. Allanon shook his head once and then his lips curled into a warm, comforting smile. The hand on her shoulder lifted and rose. He gently held her chin with thumb and forefinger, tilting her head to face him. "I meant everything I said last night. **Everything**."

 _I desire you in every way…_

Alessandra felt her cheeks flush at the memory of his words. This was a feeling she had not experienced in centuries; nervousness, excitement. But it was **more** ; more overwhelming, more encompassing, consuming, almost too much more. Her heart raced, butterflies fluttering in her belly. Her mind, reasonable thought, left her and was replaced with sudden daydreaming.

* * *

 _She lurched forward, captured his lips with her own as her arms wrapped around his neck. She felt his strong arms wrap tightly around her waist as he pulled her in closer. No longer was there reserve between them. Only longing and desire._

 _Their hearts hammered, blood rushing through their veins with need as the catalyst. A need to entangle themselves. A need to become one. Instinct took them both over, an animalistic need coursing through them as they fought for dominance in their kiss._

 _Alessandra felt Allanon's arms lower and pick up her rump rather hastily. Her legs wound around his waist as he turned to his left and pushed her back against the doorframe of the balcony. He pulled back to look at her, eyes filled with fire and passion. His gaze dipped lower to her lips and he hungrily recaptured the swollen masses with his own. His hands gripped her buttocks firmly, fingers indenting the supple flesh beneath tight pants. Her own hands wandered over his neck and into the collar of his shirt, fingers touching ever so slightly his shoulders and back._

 _She found herself tugging on his cloak, attempting to shirk it off of his body. Allanon pressed himself firmer against her, pinning her tightly to the doorframe and shrugged his arms out of the overbearing leather cloak. It hung over her feet, leaving his upper body more open, but still too covered for her liking. She tugged on his leather chest plate, etched with Druid writings and runes. She felt one of his gloved hands move from her bottom, worming its way beneath her shirt to hold firmly to her waist. His fingers dug into her flesh, pressing into her bones._

* * *

"How must we do this?" Allanon's voice brought her back from her daydream; a dream that felt so real, so _good,_ that she wished it didn't have to end. Allanon watched as a bright red streak spread across her cheeks, her chest rising and falling haphazardly while she struggled to pull herself back from whatever she was thinking about.

He would admit that he was more than curious as to what had her in such a state. It didn't seem unpleasant or unwelcomed, which made it ever the more intriguing. Despite his curiosities, he refused to invade her thoughts; see what she had imagined. Though, the way she avoided his gaze gave him a slight hint.

He let his fingers fall from her chin and returned his hand to his side, sensing an energy radiating off of her; _desire, need, passion_. It washed over him like some kind of enchantment, kick started his natural instincts like a bolt of electricity and called to his human half. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his nerves on edge and tingling. He turned away from her, trying to fend off the desire to pull her close, strip her bare, and claim her as his own. He shook his head and walked towards the small round table in the middle of the room.

"Allanon, I'm sorry." Alessandra breathed out, realizing the effect she was having on him and leaned herself back against the doorframe. She looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath, feeling the energy coursing through her too freely. It wasn't her doing it. It was something else, something deeper and more primal. Her instincts as an Elemental. Free spirits, all of them, with habits of taking what they wanted when they wanted it. She had control, but the more the Decay overcame her, the less in control she felt.

"I did not mean..." Alessandra shook her head and willed away her instincts. "…it's because of what I am and with the Decay having rooted, I cannot control it as well as I have in the past."

"Cannot control what?" Allanon questioned, straightening himself. He steeled himself against the emotions and energy circulating in the room; passion, desire, lust. He breathed deeply again, taking in the sweet scent of the rose oil she had in her hair. He turned and looked at her, standing at the open balcony doors and saw the breeze as it brushed over her gently. It was as though some higher being were forcing the breeze to wash over her, waft to his being and enchant him further. He turned back to the table and closed his eyes again, fighting his human urges as well as hiding the bugle in his tight leather pants.

"I warned you there were things you did not know when you agreed to be my Keeper." Alessandra breathed out and closed her eyes, feeling the Decay worming through her veins. She should be embarrassed, would have been embarrassed if it had been anyone other than Allanon. He was to be her Keeper and somewhere deep down within her, her nature, her being had already accepted him as such without her knowing. Everyone had known before her, had accepted it before her, and now she was playing catch up.

"I am an Elemental at the root of my being. Being a Guardian is just a title. Something that others give me because of how strong an Elemental I am." Alessandra opened her eyes and looked towards Allanon, who had his hands flat palmed on the table top. She wanted to go to him, but thought better of the notion. "Elementals, especially Pygmies, are... _physical_ beings."

He lifted his head. His heart raced, blood pumping heatedly in his veins. He felt his human side vying for control; for release. He was a man, a human man at heart. He understood this despite the Druid in him arguing against it. He was now feeling the effects of a human man trying to fend off the Druid portion of himself; complete role reversal. He knew not when it had happened, only when it had started and it had started the moment he had met her.

"We are not shy about such things. We actively _participate_ in relations of a... sexual nature. Do you remember when you saved me at the springs? We had a similar conversation." Alessandra finally found herself becoming nervous. Why should she be? It was a part of who she was, who her people were. They were not shy about sex or lust, but embraced it. Then she understood why she was anxious, "I know that other races do not see such things as acceptable as we do. We are _depraved_ , some may say. Nakedness, openness, passion, are all things we actively enjoy. We believe intimacy should be embraced and encouraged. Though we are not as degenerate as others believe us to be. Most of us bond ourselves together while others seek the comfort of multiple partners."

"I remember our conversation." Allanon stood stiffly as he took in her words and recounted their conversation that seemed years away, but were only a few weeks ago. He understood perfectly what she was getting at; the same thing she had before. He had suspected as much for some time. "You asked me if Druid were allowed to love… if I have ever loved."

Alessandra felt herself stiffen. Her eyes locked onto his visage. He stared off at the floor before her feet, mind wandering deeper into his thoughts.

"Druids have a responsibility to their duties; first and foremost. Love is a mere distraction that is considered a weakness that cannot be afforded." He replied almost as reaction, as though this was the desired response of any Druid. He then fell silent, eyes looming on Alessandra as she fell into melancholy over his words. They seemed to upset her in a way he had not wanted them too. It was a recount from that past conversation; exact words, exact reaction. "I loved a woman many years ago as you now know; Pyria. King Eventine's sister. There was no future for us though and I explained that to her. I let her go believing it was I needed to do. For her sake and my own."

"I'm sorry." Alessandra felt all her desire, her passion disappear into a cloud of melancholy. She knew not what else to say. What could she say? He was going to be her Keeper and here he was telling her about a woman he had been in love with and lost. Lost not once, but twice. She decided not to tell him then that a Keeper was much more than there to protect the Guardian, to keep them from falling prey to the Decay. No, Keepers and Guardians were pitched together for other reasons; need, desire, pleasure, comfort. The idea caused a rippling effect to course through Alessandra, forcing her to shut her eyes.

"Alessandra," Allanon called to her as he sensed her dismay, "look at me."

She did as he requested.

"I am sorry if I spoke too boldly." Alessandra tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and avoided his gaze once more. She couldn't find the strength. Her heart ached with the mention of Pyria. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "I have never had to speak about such things before."

"You had never needed to speak such things because you had never found your Keeper before." Allanon replied, keeping his words light and steady. For a strange reason, he found himself smiling at her steeled figure. He could not help the thoughts that entered his mind – _You were meant for me._

"I believe that you were meant for me, Allanon." Her words were soft, almost inaudible as though frightened of her own voice. "And I for you... but, I don't know if I can... if _we_ can... if you still have feelings for Pyria–"

"My heart will always hold feelings for Pyria." He felt all feelings of lust flee his human body as he saw what was happening before him. She was receding back into herself, back behind that stone wall she had built up to protect her heart.

"I see." She replied barely above a whisper. She turned from him and instead stared out into the sunlight with her back against the door frame. Her hands sat before her, laced and guarding herself. "I understand. She was your first love. That's hard to overshadow... for anyone."

"Alessandra…" He breathed out and slowly approached her, but stopped suddenly. Replaced in him now was worry and regret and fear; worry he had said the wrong things, regret he had ruined this chance, his second chance… his only chance... fear he had lost her.

… _I care deeply for_ _ **this**_ _woman._ – He had finally figured it out as all the feelings, emotions, struggles to be comfortable in her presence, make sense of his apprehension of her, suddenly clicked into place like the final piece of a puzzle. It was obvious now. Somewhere along the line he had fallen for her, head first and without realization or knowing. But was this some trick? Some Elemental magic or perhaps the doing of the Ellcrys? …did it really matter? It felt right and good and warm. No matter who or what caused it, he wanted it more than anything. He wanted her.

"If you still plan to go through with the Vows and become my Keeper," Alessandra stared out the open balcony doors as the sunlight played off her features and cast her in a warm glow, "then we should find Penelope. She must officiate the ceremony and soon."

Their eyes met, locked in a wordless battle of wills. Her lips curled up into a small smile, meant only for him, and held him there in her warmth. She wasn't mad with him, but she was still hurt. He could see it in her eyes; haunting, beautiful, but hurt. The room fell quiet for a long moment. Alessandra's mind raced, her heart hammered in her chest as she felt her throat constrict.

"However... if you have doubts now, please say so. I do not want to trap you in something that will be inescapable." The words spilled out from her mouth without filter as she found worry and fear creeping into her heart. "I do not completely understand what will happen once we take the Vows. I don't fully comprehend myself all that this bond will entail. So, if you have worries or concerns or... _anything_ else, please voice them. Please tell me."

She met Allanon's stare briefly. It was steely, but concerned as his mind wrapped around her words. He understood what his words had done, what confusion he had caused.

"Yes. I have worries and concerns." He began, voice calculated and steady. "I am at odds with myself; Druid and Human. I feel I know which part will win out should I go through with this, but I fear for the other half that I have grown so attached to."

"I understand." Her voice fell, throat sore and tears prickling her eyes. She turned away from him and closed her eyes, facing towards the outside world.

"You do not." His words held a small hint of laughter in them. He shook his head. After everything he was still having to assure her, prove to her. His feet moved of their own accord and crossed the room. He stopped before her, left side cast into the sunlight and stared down at her. Without taking his eyes from her, he removed the glove on his right hand. Slowly, he reached up and cupped her jaw as his thumb rubbed tenderly over her cheekbone.

"I understand perfectly, Druid." Her voice, soft and level, held what sounded like resentment. She lifted a hand up and gently, but sternly pushed his hold on her away.

"No, you do not understand." He could not help the small laugh that rumbled in his chest at the way she was speaking, looking at him, behaving. "Your mind is running wild again. Stop it. Listen to me closely. My words last night in that dream were real. They were not spoken out of coercion or desperation."

"… _and what of your feelings for Pyria?"_ She could not ask the question aloud and instead broke the barrier in their minds. The question hung between them, soft and needing an answer.

"I will always have feelings for Pyria." He answered her slowly, again reiterating them. Alessandra felt her jaw tighten as she sensed something within him.

"And you regret not following her." Alessandra countered, sensing something deep within his heart.

"Yes." He didn't want to admit it, but he found he could not hide the truth from her. He watched as her fear wavered, as her worries began to lessen away. "It may have been that I pushed Pyria away, not because of my duty as a Druid, but because my path was leading me to you."

"Allanon–"

"Let me speak." His voice was stern and determined. He demanded her silence if only for but a moment to allow him the chance to explain. "The feelings that have developed inside of myself; strange and frightening. They are **stronger** than the ones I had had for Pyria. Much stronger and _different_."

He turned to his left and walked a few paces out onto the balcony, into the sun. He lifted his face upwards and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth. Alessandra watched him silently as he seemed lost in some thought.

The feelings he spoke about felt real this time around and true... pure. Deep within him his human side screamed out, begging for him to allow himself to _feel_ something for this woman now before him who openly was accepting him. He felt those feeling, but struggled to express them to her with words. He was _so_ close. Just one more step off the ledge and there would be no coming back... but that was what he wanted now. To step of the ledge of Druidism, of responsibility to people who cared little about what was happening, to a life that had no meaning anymore. Instead, he wanted to follow the woman who had silently captured his heart without meaning, without intent, without asking for anything in return. He wanted to take that leap of faith with **her**.

Things in his life had always had purpose. He became a Druid because he showed signs of magic wielding. He met Wil because he had known Wil's father, had battled alongside him to defeat a great evil. He was here now because the Ellcrys needed his aid, because the world needed his aid. However, Alessandra didn't need his help. She needed **him** and only him; body, mind, spirit. Everything was not so easily understood until the Ellcrys had shown him a possible future. Not until he had begun to ignore the Druid voice in his head and listen to the human heart beating uncontrollably in his chest. He cared deeply this woman, this Elemental Guardian, this Pygmy.

"My ability to care for another," he began again and opened his eyes, staring out over the forest that encompassed Arborlon, "I believed had run out ages ago."

He turned towards her and approached again, leather cloak swaying with each step. He slowly moved his hand into her hair, resting it on the back of her neck and holding firmly. She stared up at him, hauntingly blue eyes seeming to calm like the sea. For once, he felt he had said the right words; done the right thing.

"I want to be the one that protects you." His voice was deep, strong and washed over her like thunder in a summer's night. His eyes swirled in the colors of the rich earth, taking in her visage and claiming her attention. She was so close to him; so warm. The rose oil in her hair wafted up into his nose and drove his senses wild. He moved himself closer, their bodies barely grazing one another. "Whatever being your Keeper entails, I will gladly bear it. No matter what it might be that I do not yet fully understand comes with the responsibility or the honor, I will stand alongside you. Together, we will face it."

She said nothing and looked downwards. He found his lips turn upwards as he tugged her gently closer to him so that she pressed firmly against his chest. She did not hesitate to wrap her arms around his middle and secure herself to him. He wrapped his left arm around her, right hand entangled in her braided hair.

"Even if I have to spend the rest of eternity assuring you, soothing you, convincing you that this is my choice." He could not stop himself from what happened next. The desire in his heart, the warmth that spread over him, her melodic laugh... he found himself pull back and lower his lips to hers gently; flesh against flesh in a silent pact.

In that kiss she understood what he was trying to tell her. He would always have feelings for Pyria, but they were not the same feelings he held for her in his heart. She was more. She was special. She was his and he was hers.

"The Ellcrys showed this to me." His words floated around them gently as he pulled back from her lips. "She knew all of this."

"Showed what to you?" Alessandra, despite her dreamy, faraway voice, contemplated his words. He breathed out, suddenly unsure whether he should be speaking about it. Could it not jinx them? He let his hand fall away from her.

"Speak to Penelope. Make the arrangements." He took a step back from her and headed towards the door of her room. "Then you shall know as well."

Alessandra watched him for a moment, seeing his hesitance.

"Are you going to see Bandon?" Her voice followed him, stopping him at the door. He looked back at her and found his eyes drifting over her bodice.

"Yes. He still needs my guidance." He was not expecting it, but the smile and pride that filled her eyes was welcomed. She nodded her head at him, biting her bottom lip as though to hide her smile.

"Yes, he does." She breathed out and turned herself so her left shoulder rested on the doorframe. He watched as mischief suddenly filled her eyes, a smirk crossing her reddened lips. "He can have you for now, but soon you will be mine and mine alone."

Without another word, Allanon left the room and hid the small grin on his lips. She was unlike anyone he had ever known, had ever believed existed. She was wonderful, confusing, aggravating, but tender and lovely... and she was soon to be his and his alone.

~Evening~

Alessandra had not seen Allanon the rest of the day. Instead, she had preoccupied herself with Aria and Penelope. As Penelope guided Aria in training, honing her skills as a Sylph, Alessandra watched and learned herself. Her niece was strong, much like her father had been, but could extend her abilities in ways only Penelope understood.

Aria had the gift of sight like Penelope and Bandon, however, it was not the same. She could move through these flashes of memory, futures, pasts, almost as though she were experiencing them for herself. She could _touch_ them, these sights. She could, with proper training, mold them.

"She is very strong." Penelope's words were nothing new. She had spoken them many times during the countless hours of Aria's training. Alessandra looked from Penelope to her niece. She could not help but feel fear of the small child that looked up to her. "But not as strong as you will be once you take a Keeper."

Alessandra met Penelope's gaze. She was not surprised by the pronouncement. In fact, she felt a bit of pride at it.

"Amita! Watch!" Aria exclaimed with a laugh. Alessandra turned her eyes away again and watched as Aria stirred up the wind, feet and hands moving gracefully as she twirled. Leaves spun, carried on the breeze she conjured and then fell as Aria let go.

"Very good, Aria." Alessandra breathed out, a smile gracing her lips, but deep down within her she felt anger; towards her niece, towards her abilities, her happy-go-lucky nature. She felt a hand on hers, holding tightly. She did not meet Penelope's gaze to understand. The decay was prodding her to fight, take out a competitor while she had the chance. Alessandra squeezed the elderly woman's hand and nodded her head.

"He is still committed." Alessandra lowered her voice, eyes never turning towards the wise Sylph. Penelope nodded her head and patted hers and Alessandra's locked hands with her free one. "He continues to assure me of his decision."

"Good. That is good... I have prepared for the ceremony as previously discussed. I have worked tirelessly on everything that will be needed." Penelope turned her gaze away and looked back at the young child in awe of her own power. She stared passed Aria into some distant future that brought forth a warm smile on her craggy lips.

"Penelope?" Alessandra questioned after watching the woman for a long moment. Penelope's eyes stayed straight as though lost in something Alessandra could not see herself. Penelope closed her eyes and gave a small laugh, tilting her head back as it released from her chest. Alessandra shook her head confused. "What is it? What has you in an uproar?"

"The next few days." Penelope opened her eyes and turned to look at Alessandra, both hands holding her granddaughter's.

"The next few days?" Alessandra shook her head again, eyes closing as she struggled to catch up to where Penelope was. "What are you talking about?"

"The Ceremony, child. It shall be done within the next few days." Penelope smacked Alessandra's hands playfully and then looked to Aria. "Come Aria! You must help an old woman prepare for your aunt to take her Vows!"

"Awww. Why do I have to?" Arai grumbled and kicked her feet in the dirt. "Can't Amita help you while I practice?"

"No, sweet one." Penelope laughed and ushered the child over to her. "Your Amita has to prepare herself in other ways. In a few days' time, she will be bound to the Druid and he to her."

"Allanon?" Aria's face lit up like the night sky during a full moon; bright, magical. "Amita, Allanon is going to your Keeper?"

"Wait, everyone slow down." Alessandra stood up and took a step away from the two. Things were in motion, but far too fast. "Why so soon?"

"Higher powers command it." Penelope smiled and stood from her place on the stone bench. She moved to Alessandra, a head shorter, and took her granddaughter's face between her hands. "They are looking favorably upon this union. I have foreseen it."

Alessandra said nothing. She could not help the anxiety she felt building up within her. She knew that this was coming. She had spoken with Allanon about it today and previously, but it seemed so… _rushed_. She had spent centuries without a Keeper, searching and failing to find him. Now, here the day was upon her and she was frightened.

"You two were meant for one another. The powers have foretold it." Penelope saw the fear in Alessandra's deep eyes and attempted to wash it away. "They bless you and Allanon. Do not feel fear. Be joyous! After the Ceremony it will be a new start on the rest of your life."

"I am joyous, but I do feel fear." Alessandra breathed out. She felt tears prickle her eyes as she tried to will them away. "I do not know why I feel this way. He is a good man, a strong man. He has said, time and time again, that his choice is to become my Keeper. Why then should I fear this fate with him?"

"Because you have been alone for so long, child. While Allanon slumbered in the Druid Sleep, your heart searched for him. When you could not find him, you allowed the Decay to enter your heart to fill that void of his presence." Penelope gave Alessandra's head a small shake as if to pull her from her own thoughts. "The Decay is now fighting for supremacy over you and your abilities. It fears Allanon because it knows he can protect you."

The air fell silent between the three females. Aria walked up to her aunt's side and wrapped her arms around her waist, holding tightly as she felt her own tears spring to her eyes. Empathy wracked her as she cried silently against her aunt.

"What if he changes his mind?" Alessandra did not know where the words came from, but felt they were the root of her fear.

"Oh, sweet Alessandra..." Penelope, despite her wisdom, despite her sight, had not foreseen this. She stared at her granddaughter, a spitting image of her son, and shook her head at the silly thought. "Have no fear, child. He is already bound to you as you are to him. Can you not see it? ...can you not feel it? He couldn't walk away even if he was under some kind of enchantment."

Alessandra wrapped her left arm around Aria's shoulders and placed her hand on her upper arm. The small girl wept, feeling the emotions of her aunt as if her own. Penelope let one hand fall from Alessandra's face so she could tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. Her thumb rubbed tenderly, motherly, over her cheek as her eyes filled with care.

"You were meant to find one another. Two souls cut from the same branch of the Tree of Life." Penelope smiled. "This Ceremony is only for show; a theatrical pronouncement for all those who will never understand the bond between Guardian and Keeper."

Alessandra closed her eyes and let her tears fall down her cheeks. She did not sniffle nor weep. Two single tears tread down her smooth skin and fell from her jawline.

"…you remind me so much of my son." Penelope breathed out and stroked Alessandra's cheek. The young Elemental opened her eyes; blurred, reddened, and still with remnants of broken blood vessels. "I wish he hadn't given you his doubting nature though. Instead, I wish you had your mother's certainty."

"I as well." Alessandra allowed the small laugh escape her throat and took a deep breath.

"Go now. Prepare." Penelope encouraged her and shooed her away with a smile. "I shall see you later on."

"But who will tell Allanon?" Alessandra questioned as Penelope gave her a small shove. The older woman shook her head and shooed her once more.

"Let me worry about that." Penelope motioned for Aria to follow her, waving Alessandra away. "Go to your quarters and wait for me there. Aria, find your uncle and bring him to me in the Sanctuary."

"Penelope–"

"Hush child!" Penelope barked with a laugh and a smile. Alessandra could see excitement and joy in her aged eyes. "There is so much to do! The rites to prepare, the materials, your dress!"

"My dress? What dress?" Alessandra shook her head of braided hair.

"I've had it ready for you for years." Penelope placed her hands on her hips and nodded her head once in pride. "Made it myself knowing this day would someday be upon us. Now it's here and I don't feel prepared at all!"

"Penelope!" Alessandra called after the old sylph as she dragged Aria along with her towards the palace. Alessandra flung her hands up in exasperation and looked around where she stood alone. Everything was moving too quickly. Far too quickly. Time, she needed time.

 _You've had centuries to prepare –_ she scolded herself _– but I never expected this day to come._

She hadn't. She thought herself a lost cause. Cursed. Forsaken. However, this was not the case.

Alessandra looked up above the tree tops towards the Sanctuary where the Ellcrys stood tall. Its crimson leaves were fewer in number now as events had taken a toll on it. She reached out to it, questioned whether it would answer her pleas, but it was silent.

Her feet moved before she had even decided what to do next and soon she found herself before the double doors of the Sanctuary. She walked inside, sunlight raining down in golden showers that illuminated the sickly tree that stood tall as ever in the center of the room. She approached slowly, hearing voices from the other side of the tree.

"She's alive." It was Bandon. He sounded breathless and almost in pain. Alessandra's curiosity got the better of her and she slowly crept around the great tree to peek. She stood silently, hidden behind the ferns at the base of the Ellcrys. She watched as Allanon stood above Bandon, gloved hand on his head with eyes closed. Bandon was sweating, red in the face and breathing unsteady.

"Amberle is alive." Bandon breathed out and opened his eyes. Allanon moved away from him, stepping down the short dais to the stone floor. He kept his back to Bandon, who sat on the steps attempting to collect himself. It was clear what they had been up to and it made Alessandra angry. Allanon was pushing Bandon again; pushing his abilities and his mind to serve his needs. Amberle had gone on her quest with Wil and Eretria. Nothing had been heard however in regards to their success or other.

"So what did you see?" Allanon's voice was low, grunting like a boar ready to maim.

"I don't know." Bandon replied instantly and shook his head. He closed his eyes and recounted the images that he had seen. "I saw ruins. A city maybe? …man made, not elven. I didn't recognize it."

"Anything else?" Allanon persisted and when Bandon did not reply he whipped around to face the young elf. "Think!"

"I'm trying." Bandon was quick to retort, frustration and exhaustion evident on his face. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly as he tried to remember. "…there was water."

"Ocean, lake or river?"

"I don't know." Bandon snapped and opened his eyes again. He stared up at Allanon, who gave no hint at sympathy. Bandon sighed and hung his head. "I need a break."

"NO!" Allanon's voice echoed with his roar as he took a heavy step closer to Bandon. "The Ellcrys is almost bare. If the last leaf falls–"

"I know what happens!" Bandon nearly shot up from his seat on the steps. Allanon and the young Seer fell silent for a moment.

"If you think I am pushing you, it's because I am trying to prepare you for what is it come." Allanon spoke truthfully, his voice fluttering with frustration and urgency. "You must fortify yourself against Dagda Mor."

Alessandra watched, hiding herself further behind the ferns. Something in the air changed. A sharp fizz of electricity filled the space, humming with dark energy. She watched as Bandon's features altered and his eyes grew narrowed.

"You're pushing to see if I snap." His voice was clam, but did not quite sound like his own. Allanon's face fell blank as though to cover up what Bandon must have seen inside his head. Instead of answering him, Allanon strode past him and up the short stairs to the base of the Ellcrys.

"Not fun!" Bandon shouted, earning Allanon's attention once more. Bandon turned to stare up at the Druid at the base of the Ellcrys. "Is it? Having your mind read?"

Alessandra felt the rage and the _fear_ suddenly rolling off of Allanon in waves. She felt it in her bones, creeping down her spine and making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The room felt colder, darker, as Druid and Seer locked gazes in a battle.

"You're power may be growing, but be careful how you use it." Allanon's voice was serious, stern as though Bandon had made a fatal mistake. "And with whom."

The Sanctuary grew silent again. Their gazes never faltered. Alessandra shuffled herself back into the shadow of the Ellcrys and pressed her back into the bark. She waited, unwilling to move from her spot and be detected.

"We're finished here." Allanon's voice rang out like the javelin of some judge; final and unable to be redacted. His bootfalls echoed throughout the room up until the slamming of the double doors. Alessandra heard Bandon moving about, feet shuffling and words whispered harshly under his voice. Soon, his voice filtered away into nothingness.

Alessandra released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She felt her body relax and slowly slid down the bark of the Ellcrys to the ground. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, opening them again to see a leaf break free from the arm of the great tree. Gracefully, it floated downwards to her cupped and waiting hands. There it seemed to burn away like an ember into nothingness.

"Oh Ellcrys." Alessandra breathed out and looked back up at the bare branches. "What can I do now to help you?"

No response came. No feeling of intrusion on her mind. Instead, to her right Alessandra saw a small sprout of a tulip. It too appeared to be struggling to survive. She leaned closer, right elbow pressing into the soft grass that covered the Ellcrys' roots. She cupped her hands around the sprout and closed her eyes, whispering tender nothings to it. She felt the energy surge through her; warm and light. Her hands glowed green around the sprout, small rays of the energy's light slipping passed her fingers. When she pulled away, the tulip was in bloom; yellow and cheery as though untouched by any darkness.

Alessandra turned her gaze further to her right, staring at the bark of the Ellcrys. Her fingers rolled, nails dragging against the palms of her hands as nervousness rose up within her. She stood up, took a deep breath, and looked back up at the top of the great sapient tree. Slowly, she pressed her fingertips against the bark. At feeling nothing, no returning energy or backlash, Alessandra pressed her palms flat against the dry bark.

"No." She breathed out suddenly, still unable to feel a pulse. "She looked at her hands against the bark; dry and lifeless. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. Her nerves tingled as they sat on edge. Her eyes darted over the bark, her hands, the lack of sensation she felt from the Ellcrys. "No... no, no, no."

Without thought or concern for herself, she let the energy flow freely from her. It surged through her arms and into her palms, spreading over the Ellcrys like a blanket of deep, mossy green. Alessandra felt her hands sink slightly into the bark, the Ellcrys trying to absorb more of the energy she offered to it. Soon, she could no longer see her hands beneath the bark of the Ellcrys' bark. All she saw was the mossy green glow emanating from the spot they had been.

"Take it." Alessandra commanded the tree and looked up, seeing the bark change colors as though lifeblood had returned to pulse through its great veins. "Take it all. Heal yourself."

The Ellcrys said nothing, but did as she commanded. It soaked up the energy hungrily, taking and taking and taking without pause. Alessandra watched the ferns and the flowers at the base of the Ellcrys come back to life; green, vibrant, and healthy. The grass became softer, greener. The Ellcrys seemed to stand taller in its sanctuary. But then she felt it... a sharp pain in her chest. It began as a dull prod as though she had run too fast and too far, but then it increased. It pulsed and jabbed at her without relent. Black blotches clouded her vision as something slithered beneath her flesh. Looking down, she spotted the Decay. It moved beneath her skin towards the point where the energy flowed into the Ellcrys.

"No." Alessandra gritted her teeth and tried to pull the Decay back. "You will not."

She fought it with all her might. It slithered back like the receding of the ocean waves, back into the hiding hole within her where Penelope had put it. However, soon her strength and stamina began to deteriorate. The Ellcrys using her to channel energy and the Decay fighting against her will... it was too much. She watched as the Decay resurged, spreading down from her shoulders to her upper arms. It slithered like a snake beneath her smooth flesh, working its way down towards her elbows... her forearms... her wrists.

She whispered a mantra to herself beneath her breath as her eyes grew wide in fear. Over and over she could only say one word; no.

"No, no, no." She shook her head and willed the Decay to return to her. She watched it creep over her wrists to the back of her hands. Slowly, as though enjoying her pain, the Decay moved into her fingers and disappeared into bark of the Ellcrys. The mossy green glow turned a deep shade of purple-black. The look of a syrupy poison that infected the Ellcrys like a disease.

"No! Stop!" Alessandra felt the Decay flow from her into the Ellcrys, felt the Ellcrys tug on it hungrily. She shut her eyes, found herself being pulled away from the Sanctuary and into some other plane of existence.

* * *

When she opened her eyes she saw the prophecy. She saw the dusty, desecrated ground of the world that was foretold to be her future. She stood before herself, but the woman before her was not quite herself. This was her opposite. The one she would become with the help of the Decay.

Her hair was raven colored and flowed freely at her sides. Her skin was pale like fresh snow, fingertips stained by the Decay as though dipped in fresh brewed tea. Her lips, full and dark like obsidian. Rippling out from her lips were small, short tendrils that lay as though painted on her face. Her eyes, blue and haunting, were encircled with darkness like coal. She was barefoot, similar tea like stains from the Decay covering her feet. Her clothing was torn, bloodied, and singed, exposing pieces of her frosty skin to be consumed by the Decay.

"No!" Alessandra screamed and found she was unable to move from her spot. Behind her opposite were bodies lying on the ground; broken, bloodied and lifeless. She didn't need to ask to understand what had happened. It was all too obvious.

"Alessandra!"

She heard the voice call her name, but it sounded miles away. She found herself unable to stand and fell to her knees, tears flowing freely from her eyes as she struggled to produce coherent phrases.

" _You_." The visage of her darker self, lifted a crooked finger at her and grinned with her teeth exposed. " _It was you_."

"No!" Alessandra shouted through her pain, feeling something slithering over her legs. She looked down and saw the stiff bones of a skeletal hand curling around her ankles from the decrepit earth.

" _You let the Ellcrys die. You failed_ _ **everyone**_ _._ "

"NO!" Alessandra jumped and thrashed her legs, trying to fight off the skeletons that pulled themselves up from the earth.

" _He's coming_." The inverted version of herself spoke with a smirk, eyes following Alessandra as she fought off her attackers. " _He's coming for you_."

"Alessandra!" The voice called again, but she was too far gone. Her mind raced and her heart hammered in her chest.

"Stop! Stop it!" Alessandra panicked and thrashed more, scuttling backwards against the skeletal hands that sprung from the ground after her. She felt one of the hands grab hold of her shoulder. She was suddenly jerked downwards, pinned to the hard and desolate earth. Another grabbed her upper arm, another on her wrist. One of the skeleton hands that had her ankle pulled on her, ripping itself up from the dirt. It lurched up and fell onto her legs, boney hand reaching further up her to grab at her shirt.

" _He will turn you_."

Alessandra ceased to listen. She screamed at the top of her lungs, fighting desperately against her attackers. Boney hands moved over her face, covering her eyes and pulling on her. She opened her eyes and caught sight of her darker self; standing above her and grinning darkly with satisfaction.

" _You will turn_."

Alessandra screamed, but no longer did she have a voice. She tried again, but nothing came out. She felt the earth rattle beneath her and felt herself slowly sink downwards. The skeletons tugged on her, pulling her deeper into the thirsty ground.

"Alessandra!" The voice sounded closer.

"Allanon!" Alessandra screamed out as tears flowed freely from her red eyes. Fear pulsed in her veins; deep rooted and eternal. She opened her eyes again and saw a figure step up beside her darker self. She recognized the twisted form of Dagda Mor as he laughed, deeply and brokenly. His arm slithered around her darker self's waist, pulling her tightly to his side.

" _You will be mine. The Druid cannot save you_." Dagda Mor spoke, his words echoing and cracked. " _Give in. Join me. I can lead you to true power._ "

" _This is our future._ " Alessandra's darker self spoke seductively and looked to Dagda Mor with a gaze that sickened her. " _ **He**_ _is our future_."

"No! Ellcrys! Stop this!" Alessandra screamed out, her voice carrying over everything around her. The ground rumbled with her voice as the hand of the skeletons snapped and fell away. She felt herself continuing to sink until she began to fall. Deep down into a pit of darkness she fell away. The image of Dagda Mor locked in a dark kiss with her tainted self, faded away as well. Her plummeting slowed only when she suddenly collided with water, sinking down into its cool depths.

* * *

She felt herself fly backwards from the Ellcrys, feet stumbling as she hit the edge of the Ellcrys' dais. She felt herself once more falling, but she didn't hit the ground. Instead, she found herself wrapped up in strong, protective arms. She didn't know who they belonged to and she didn't care. She wrapped her arms around the person's neck and hid her face in the crook of their neck, sobbing. She sobbed so hard her entire body shook.

"Aless, what happened?" Björn questioned, shocked by her sudden behavior. He held her tightly to him and tugged her the rest of the way down from the dais and the ferns. If she tried to explain, he could not hear through her constant, heart wrenching sobs. He had come to the Sanctuary in search of Allanon and instead had found his sister. She had been locked in a stare with the Ellcrys, hands seemingly to have been consumed into the bark with an odd green glow. He recognized the energy, the color, the meaning. What he hadn't recognized was the look of her eyes when he had approached to inspect closer after getting no response from her.

"Aless, tell me what happened." Björn demanded gently of her, but she continued to sob. Each one made her entire bod rattle and rock, breath hitching as she quickly put herself into a panic. "Calm down. Breathe. You're okay... you're okay."

He cooed to her, hand brushing over her back gently as he would with his niece. He held her tightly, something deep within him telling him something was wrong. Something in the air felt off. His gaze lifted and found the Ellcrys. He was no Pygmy, but he could sense something toxic radiating off of the great tree. It loomed over them as though staring down at them with foreboding.

Björn switched his hold on Alessandra and picked her up in his arms. She continued to sob as he walked her out of the Sanctuary. The entire time Björn felt eyes staring a hole into his back and new that came from the Ellcrys. However, it felt dark and bitter as though it was something peering out through the Ellcrys instead, using it as a conduit or a looking glass. He didn't look over his shoulder as he carried his sister away. He would never admit to it, but it set him with unease and dread at finding out exactly what it might have been spying on them. Whatever it was, had caused his sister's current state. Whatever was in the Ellcrys, using the Ellcrys, had done something to Alessandra.

He looked down at her and saw that the Decay was still hidden from sight, but he could sense it moving deep within her. It was strong and it was pulsating because of something. He guessed it was whatever lurked in the Sanctuary with the Ellcrys. A dark presence that the Decay was all too willing to feed off of.

"This isn't good, Aless." Björn spoke, knowing full well that she wouldn't respond to him. "Whatever it was in there with your and the Ellcrys, I felt it."

"It was _him_." She finally spoke, words broken and breath hitching. Her arms tightened around his neck as she continued to cry. "I saw him. H-he was there w-with me and t-the dead. T-they were p-p-pulling me under…!"

"Wait, who was there? Who was pulling you under where?" Björn questioned and ceased his walking down the pathway. He arched himself backwards to look into her face. He could barely see her red, tear stained cheeks. "What are you talking about?"

"I was trying to heal the Ellcrys." Alessandra began and sniffled, chest heaving still as she struggled to calm herself down. Her hands gripped his uniform tightly, knuckles white. "B-but then, something went wrong. The Decay... I-I lost control over it and it wove its way into the Ellcrys. It made some kind of tethering with another plane."

"We need to find Allanon." Björn announced and began walking again, more haste in each step.

"Björn, it was Dagda Mor." Alessandra's voice grew lower as though afraid to mention his name and summon the dark Druid. He looked down at her again and continued on the path towards the palace, a sickening feeling growing in his bones. He didn't know what she had seen, what she had heard, what she knew, but it was clear to all that it was terrible. She had looked into a dark plane of existence, a future, and she was scarred from it. Her eyes stared off into nothingness as he watched her relive it again. She shook in his arms as tears welled up in her eyes once more.

He cooed to her gently as he carried her along. His intent had been to bring her to her room, make sure she was alright, was safe, and then find Allanon. Now it was just to find Allanon, send for Penelope afterwards, and deal with the situation first and foremost before anything else that may arise. These needed to be nipped in the bud. Now.

The Ellcrys was on death's door, which meant darkness would soon befall the world. A new war would wage and they were all unprepared. All he knew was that the Ellcrys, a being he had believed was just an old, giant tree, had become something more. Perhaps not to him, but to Alessandra the Ellcrys had become important. She had sought out the tree, had used her abilities to try and save it, and had fallen victim to the greatest evil of their time. Even if he didn't believe in the Ellcrys, she did and he would do whatever she needed of him to help. He would be there, by her side and by Aria's, to face whatever evil may come.

Come it would and soon.


End file.
